more on Data for those who have the power to request it

Begin forwarded message:

From: Konstantinos Stylianou <stiliamail <at> yahoo.gr>
Date: January 13, 2007 11:12:43 AM EST
To: dave <at> farber.net
Subject: Re: [IP] Data for those who have the power to request it

Hey all,

Just a short comment about the boston article as a greek lawyer. It  
is not perfectly correct that the information systems in this  
particular case are stretched beyond their intended uses. The  
relevant decision of the Hellenic Data Protection Agency (58/2005)  
according to which only the Traffic Agency can collect, retain and  
process videocamera data and exclusively for use of traffic  
regulation, clearly states that "in case of a special emergency the  
collected data can be used for other purposes as well, but only after  
an expressly permission by the Data Protection Agency [...] and only  
under the condition that there is no violation of the fundamental  
rights of the subjects depicted" (dec. 58/2005, para 3B). And,  
although the Police (nor any other public entity) has access to the  
data, cooperation between the Police and the Traffic Agency is not  
out of the question.
It is one thing to protect citizens and another to produce law, so  
rigid and inconsiderate of special circumstances that takes us to the  
opposite direction.
Thank you.

David Farber wrote:
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Andy Oram <andyo <at> oreilly.com>
> Date: January 13, 2007 8:06:01 AM EST
> To: David Farber <dave <at> farber.net>
> Subject: Data for those who have the power to request it
>
> Because the subtleties of privacy legislation are a popular
> topic on your IP list, readers might be interested in a
> paragraph buried in today's AP report on the bombing of the
> US embassy in Athens (I found it in my local paper):
>
> http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2007/01/13/ 
> greek_militants_blamed_in_rocket_attack/
>
> The paragraph with the privacy implications reads:
>
>    The government said it was seeking permission from the
>    courts to view video from traffic cameras, which under
>    Greek privacy laws is officially excluded from the police
>    investigation.
>
> Although I'd like to see the bombers caught, I'm leary of
> the tendency to stretch information systems beyond their
> intended uses. There's also an important imbalance of power
> involved. If the police and US embassy get their way, it
> will show that powerful forces can bend privacy laws--but
> other people can't. If I come to my parked car and find a
> dent in it, will I pursuade the courts to let me look at
> traffic photos?
>
> And even if information is open to all (if anyone could go
> on the Web and view footage from traffic cameras) this would
> benefit governments and large companies over
> individuals--whoever has the power to act on information.
>
> I've written about this before:
>
> http://www.praxagora.com/andyo/professional/p3p_promises.html
>
> in the section "Technology Is Not the Problem--Power Is."
>
> Andy
>
>
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