UK Govt backs data sharing: The privacy of UK citizens could be under threat following the publication of a report which outlines plans for Government departments to share personal information without people's consent.
Details were published yesterday by the Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU) in its report Privacy and Data-Sharing: The Way Forward for Public and backed by Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The report claims people would benefit from more "customer-focused public services" through the "better use of personal information".
For instance, a link between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the UK Passport Service would mean that drivers would not have to send their passport to the DVLA when they apply for a new licence. This seems like good news, but my concern is other cross checks and sharing that could take place. But then again, if a person isn't falsely claiming benefit, for example, what have they to lose?
Sharing information could also help prevent fraud and better target services aimed children and families on low incomes, for example. But while there are some instances where the sharing of information may appear to be commonsense, there are fears that data sharing between Government departments without the consent of individuals could also endanger personal privacy. And that is even before issues such as security and information integrity are taken into account.
The report tries to calms fears by saying that when data is "used or shared without the consent of the individual (for example, in law enforcement), there is openness, transparency and consultation in the policy-making process of striking a balance between individual rights and the wider public interest".
Snag is - is this enough? Those behind the report admit that unless data sharing is carried out properly it could severely undermine people's confidence in the Government.
It warns that ignoring people's concerns "could carry the risk of seriously undermining society’s trust in public services and lead to significant and long-lasting harm to the effective delivery of services, including implementation of integrated e-government services".
Launching the report on behalf of the Government yesterday Lord Falconer admitted: "Government needs to earn people's trust when to comes to collecting and using personal information about them.
"But we can then repay that trust with services that are much more closely tailored to individual needs," he said. Who's needs would that be then?
News source: The Register
View: UK Govt backs data sharing
Details were published yesterday by the Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU) in its report Privacy and Data-Sharing: The Way Forward for Public and backed by Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The report claims people would benefit from more "customer-focused public services" through the "better use of personal information".
For instance, a link between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the UK Passport Service would mean that drivers would not have to send their passport to the DVLA when they apply for a new licence. This seems like good news, but my concern is other cross checks and sharing that could take place. But then again, if a person isn't falsely claiming benefit, for example, what have they to lose?
Sharing information could also help prevent fraud and better target services aimed children and families on low incomes, for example. But while there are some instances where the sharing of information may appear to be commonsense, there are fears that data sharing between Government departments without the consent of individuals could also endanger personal privacy. And that is even before issues such as security and information integrity are taken into account.
The report tries to calms fears by saying that when data is "used or shared without the consent of the individual (for example, in law enforcement), there is openness, transparency and consultation in the policy-making process of striking a balance between individual rights and the wider public interest".
Snag is - is this enough? Those behind the report admit that unless data sharing is carried out properly it could severely undermine people's confidence in the Government.
It warns that ignoring people's concerns "could carry the risk of seriously undermining society’s trust in public services and lead to significant and long-lasting harm to the effective delivery of services, including implementation of integrated e-government services".
Launching the report on behalf of the Government yesterday Lord Falconer admitted: "Government needs to earn people's trust when to comes to collecting and using personal information about them.
"But we can then repay that trust with services that are much more closely tailored to individual needs," he said. Who's needs would that be then?
News source: The Register View: UK Govt backs data sharing
This update addresses issues in the following programs (US versions only, unless otherwise noted):
102 Dalmatians Puppies to the Rescue - Disney
Audigy Utilities - Creative Labs
AVIChop - Vasili Papaconstantinou
B-17 Flying Fortress - Microprose
BackWeb Lite Installer - BackWeb
DrEye2001 - Inventec
Emergency Fighters for Life - WizardWorks
FIFA 2002 - EA Sports
Grokster - Grokster, Ltd
Half-Life CounterStrike - Sierra
Hoyle Card Games 5 - Sierra
Humongous Registration Program - Humongous Entertainment
IConfig - SCM Microsystems Inc.
Jamella Diablo II Editor – Jamella (US and Korean versions)
Jekyll and Hyde - DreamCatcher Interactive
KaZaA - Sharman Networks 2002
Midtown Madness - Microsoft
Midtown Madness 2 - Microsoft
Moon Tycoon - Legacy Interactive
MTV TRL Trivia - Take2 Interactive
Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed - Electronic Arts
NHL 2002 - EA Sports
Official Formula 1 Racing - EIDOS
PhotoDeluxe Business Edition 1.0 - Adobe
The Playa - Project Mayo
PrintMaster 4.0 - MindScape
Sasami 2000 – Nuclei (Korean only)
SimMania for Kids: SimTunes - Maxis
SimMania for Kids: Widget Workshop – Maxis
SimMania for Kids: Sim Park - Maxis
TaxCut Deluxe 2001 - Block Financial Software
Triple Play 2002 - EA Sports
Ventura 8: CorelDraw - Corel
Works 2001: Calendar - Microsoft
Note: This update rolls up and addresses issues included in the previous Windows XP Application Compatibility Updates and is intended to replace them. The list of programs that were addressed in the previous update can be found in Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) Article Q313484, "Windows XP Application Compatibility Update - December 17, 2001."
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