Internet
It would be helpful to give some thought to the highly insecure
nature of the Internet. Citizens should be informed of the risks
involved in disclosing personal or confidential data, and the
fact that details of use can be recorded by service providers.
We would expect to see some comments on the need to enhance the
awareness of privacy considerations in this field.
Work
We would hope to see a mention of the data protection problems
relating to working from home. It should be emphasised that personal
data and employment related data must be kept separately, and
that the employer must not have access to the worker's personal
data, or the employee's family have access to employment related
data.
New technologies also have implications in the workplace. The
development of applications of multimedia workspaces anticipate
a cultural change. Are the citizens of the European Union mentally
prepared for such a change or even aware of the developments?
Can technique be developed to ensure that systems are implemented
in a way which reflects the natural social protocols which currently
protect personal privacy at work?
New technologies in retailing
New developments in retailing, such as supermarket loyalty card
schemes, enable the capture of personal data, the creation of
data profiles of individuals and the use of that data for direct
marketing purposes. The implementation of these new technologies
must not lead to a situation where the customer does not know
the purposes for which his / her personal data are being collected
and any use that will be made of those data.
In Addition to these comments it might be useful to acknowledge
the fact that a large number of the EU citizens are not prepared
for, or informed about the information society, and therefore
may not realise how their personal data could be treated in the
future. It should be emphasised that any educational programmes
or action plans adopted by the European Commission which relate
to the information society ought to include some information of
the relevant data protection matters.
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