--On 26 June 2009 18:02:11 +0200 Alessandro Vesely <vesely(_at_)tana(_dot_)it>
wrote:
Even if we may be skeptical about the effectiveness of meatspace laws for
limiting spam, we should give them credit for defining and describing a
number of useful terms. Privacy laws are aimed at protecting people
against undiscriminated usage of collected personally identifiable
information, a.k.a. personal data.
You're missing an important definition of "privacy" - the right to be
undisturbed (for example, by unsolicited advertising in your INBOX or on
your doormat).
Many people consider privacy to be simply the right to remain unobserved
(secrecy), but the right to be let alone is the basis of the UK's "Privacy
and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003". Those
regulations are subsidiary to our Data Protection Act of 1998, but don't
arise from it.
Once upon a time, the two aspects of privacy were entwined by mass
illiteracy and slow communications. Nowadays, near ubiquitous
communications mean it's harder to voluntarily avoid interference by
keeping your location secret - partly because it's harder to keep it
secret, and partly because for many modern communications methods your
physical location doesn't matter.
--
Ian Eiloart
IT Services, University of Sussex
01273-873148 x3148
For new support requests, see http://www.sussex.ac.uk/its/help/
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