Ethics & Law of Information

A category dealing with the ethics and legalities of the management of Information and Information Quality.

DPC, Prism, Safe Harbor and stuff

The Irish DPC has come under fire in the international media on foot of their failure to act on a complaint by Europe v Facebook about US multinationals with bases in Ireland allowing data to be accessed by the NSA. The gist of EVF’s complaint is that this access invalidates Safe Harbor and therefore makes …

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The DPC, Prism, and the Tech Giants (updated)

Europe v Facebook has issued a press release today decrying the failure of the Irish DPC to find fault with the reliance on Safe Harbor by US technology companies in the transfer of personal data of EU citizens to the US where it fell into the net of PRISM. The soundbite friendly position evf is …

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Buying back the mortgaged off

Today’s Irish Times has a ‘news’ story about a man who, during the boom, sold his home and land for €3million and has just bought it back for €215,000. Fair play to him. He sold a property and home he loved and made a profit. Now he can have his cake and eat it, returning …

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An Op-Ed about Data Protection

Fergal Crehan and I drafted the original version of this op-ed piece on the evening of the 5th of June, completing it on the 6th and submitting it immediately to the Irish Times as a topical opinion piece. The article was originally drafted in response to the EU Council of Ministers publication of proposed amendments …

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My email to Irish Times Editor, sent 25th June

Below is the text of an email I sent to the Irish Times editor on the 25th of June. The email was received by the Irish Times systems but I have had no response. Hugh Linehan on Twitter engaged but just to refer me to the Editor. I’ve published the letter here for wider reference. …

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More unchecked Data Protection guff in the media

Today’s Irish Times carried a story in the Business section that the ASAI, self-described on their website as the "self regulatory body" for the advertising industry in Ireland, have issued guidelines on the use of cookies in behavioural advertising which will come into effect from September. Great news but for a few minor facts that …

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GPS, Ambulances, and Data Protection–The CSI Effect

Last week the Irish Times published an article that I can only describe as poorly researched. The gist of the article was that ambulance services were finding it difficult to get to the right addresses in time to save people because Data Protection rules don’t allow them to use GPS location of people’s phones. Bullshit …

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Compliance, Culture, and Tone at the Top

The Data Protection Commissioner has just published his annual report. It makes (as always) interesting reading. It has only been released in the last 30 minutes but there are elements of it that I will return to in detail in a post on my company website later this week (once digested). Over here on my …

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Trust us. We’re the Government

Coverage of some of the structures of the Insolvency Service of Ireland has been rattling through my ears while I work the past few days. What I’ve heard gives rise to an unsettling feeling that the architects of the scheme have decided that the insolvent are a form of unter-mensch for whom some of the …

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Heel Pricks. A short thought

Yes. It is a pity that Guthrie cards will be destroyed. Yes, there is potentially valuable data held on them. But there is also a fundamental right to Personal Data Privacy under EU Treaties and there is that pesky thing called the Data Protection Acts/Data Protection Directive. The DPC investigated the issue of heel prick …

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