UPHOLDING privacy is the biggest challenge in the modern world as computers and communication systems pervade every aspect of life. More and more activities are taking place online or via other network flows of information. While that is arguably desirable, it carries serious privacy risks.
Dr Alexander Dix, keynote speaker of yesterday’s international data protection conference, said the internet was an inherently insecure environment and something had to be done about it.
‘Global networks will not become successful infrastructures without inbuilt privacy protection. Trust will not be generated but destroyed by excessive surveillance.’
The Respecting Privacy in Global Networks event at St James was heralded a resounding success, with more than three times as many attendees as initially hoped. More than 100 Guernsey businesspeople were joined by several off-island delegates to discuss ways of negating privacy issues in a global telecommunications world.
It was arranged to coincide with the 41st meeting of the International Working Group on Data Protection, which is being held at Castle Cornet today and tomorrow.
Bailiwick data protection commissioner Dr Peter Harris said it was an obvious opportunity to take advantage of so many global authorities on the subject being in the island.
He chaired the conference, which was organised by Orchard Events. Commerce and Employment minister Stuart Falla gave the opening address.
Dr Dix, the working group’s chairman and Berlin’s commissioner of data protection and freedom of information, focused on whether there could be privacy on the internet. He said in real life there were reasonable expectations of it.
But in cyberspace - the online world - there were technical options for ubiquitous and unprecedented surveillance.
‘More and more activities and expressions of life are taking place online, such as communicating, canvassing, expressing political opinions, voting, buying, banking, playing.
‘Obviously there are just as many legitimate expectations of privacy and anonymity online as offline.’
His speech was followed by a local legal perspective by Carey Olsen partner Advocate Mark Dunster.
He described some hypothetical scenarios in local business to illustrate how data protection issues could come to the fore.
One example was how a company buy-out could have implications for whether client data could legally be passed to a new entity. Also, he considered what could be done by a local branch to resist off-island parent company pressure to make client data available to them.
Among the other speakers was Google’s legal counsel for its European operation, Peter Fleischer, who opened his speech by apologising for his casual attire.
He wore a T-shirt advertising his internet blog site.
‘Google has a philosophy of not wearing suits, so I thought I should dress accordingly.’
Other topics discussed included issues of data protection in traffic management and healthcare.
The meeting held today and tomorrow is the first time the working group has met in the British Isles during its 24-year history.
Last night a vin d’honneur was held at Candie for the 50-strong group, of which all yesterday’s speakers are members.
Full accounts of the speeches will follow in the
business pages
Article posted on 12th April, 2007 - 12.00am
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