Within this paper I outline the positive as well as the negative effects of the current situation regarding data protection. Futhermore I briefly analyze the current regulations in the European Union.
It is the most controversial human right per se and the discussions about it are highly topical. No other human right is currently thus in the centre of the western world as this one. The right I’m talking about is the right of privacy. Due to modern technologies, demographic changes, change of political, economic or social conditions and other developments, it is increasingly threatened. It is therefore important to consider whether it may be necessary due to the recent developments around the terrorist militia IS to abandon this right in order to ensure the protection of human beings.
Monitoring, data protection and the glass man, these topics can be found almost daily in the media. Especially since several revelations around Wikileaks, the NSA and Edward Snowden, many people feel monitored. Often you open the mailbox and find advertising of companies, products, or travel-offers that you recently showed interest in. Additionally it is almost impossible to get around custom advertise when surfing through the World-Wide-Web. Google, Facebook and Co. are just some of many companies who know a lot of private things of their users. However, all these facts are in most societies merely associated only with disadvantages though surveillance can bring huge advantages to countries, especially nowadays.
As we are living in a time where violence and terror attacks are on the daily agenda it becomes more and more important that governments know what people, living in their countries, are doing. The recent attacks in Paris show again that it is a necessity to survey people in order to prevent more of these incidents. Therefore it is important that governments give more insight in what type of data they are exactly collecting and for what purpose they do so.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Protection of Data
3. Situation in the European Union
4. Personal Experience
Objectives and Topics
The work examines the ongoing tension between the fundamental human right to privacy and the necessity of state surveillance in an era characterized by modern technology and global terror threats.
- The evolution of privacy rights in the digital age.
- The impact of data collection on personal freedom and anonymity.
- Discrepancies in privacy regulations and surveillance across European Union member states.
- The responsibility of governments to balance national security with the protection of civil liberties.
Excerpt from the Book
2. Protection of Data
First of all it is important to outline that people are always afraid of being followed. If a new package of measures regarding the fight against terrorism would be adopted, which, would for example allow the surveillance of telephone conversations or the reading of E-mail messages, many people would immediately be afraid that an official of the Ministry of Interior, a policeman or a soldier of the Federal Intelligence Service could imitate their “cooking recipes”. The protection of personal information is for many people more important than the provision of national and personnel security. The European Convention on Human Rights in fact says that privacy rights may at any time be violated from authorities if this serves the clarification or the prevention of criminal acts. The nowadays often heard accusation that many states consistently shine with privacy violations, which would constitute a human rights violation, is therefore not in all but in a lot of cases void.
The protection of personal information is for many people more important than the provision of national and personnel security. Accurate reading would here be again, like in so many cases very useful. The European Convention on Human Rights in fact provides that privacy rights may at any time be violated from authorities if this serves the clarification or the prevention of criminal acts. However much more worries and thoughts should be made about the ensuring of this right when thinking about private organizations such as companies, associations, charities, foundations and the like. These are often in the possession of a great variety of personal data. Here in fact the abuse of data is in many cases not a terrible exception but rather a system. Furthermore many companies, in particular banks, should improve their firewalls and security measures as they have been and are targeted by more and more hackers within the last decade. Data storage can lead to an increase and to new types of crime. Particularly the internet is something that can today hardly be dispensed on. The internet builds a bridge to computers and accordingly to stored data. Hackers and computer criminals proved already more than several times that they can manage to get access to confidential information.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the increasing tension between privacy as a fundamental human right and the requirements of modern security in a time of persistent terror threats.
2. Protection of Data: This section discusses the public fear of government surveillance and contrasts it with the risks posed by private organizations and hackers, highlighting the complexities of data misuse.
3. Situation in the European Union: This chapter analyzes how European member states navigate the legal framework of the Convention on Human Rights while managing divergent approaches to surveillance and data storage.
4. Personal Experience: The final chapter provides a reflective perspective on individual privacy in the digital age and concludes with an assessment of the difficult balance between state security and civil rights.
Keywords
Privacy, Surveillance, Human Rights, Data Protection, Terrorism, European Union, Internet, Security, Anonymity, Digital Era, Legislation, Civil Liberties, Data Storage, Surveillance State, Social Networks
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this document?
The document investigates the conflict between the individual's right to privacy and the state's need for surveillance to combat terrorism and criminal activity.
What are the central themes discussed in this work?
The central themes include digital privacy, data security in the private sector, the role of government surveillance, and the lack of uniform legal standards across the European Union.
What is the primary objective of this analysis?
The objective is to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of surveillance and to highlight the necessity of transparent, regulated data practices in modern societies.
Which methodology is applied here?
The work employs a descriptive and analytical approach, combining an overview of international human rights conventions with a critical discussion of current political and social developments.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main sections cover the threats to privacy posed by both state authorities and private entities, the legal inconsistencies within the EU, and the impact of the digital age on individual anonymity.
Which keywords best describe this work?
The most relevant keywords are Privacy, Surveillance, Human Rights, Data Protection, Terrorism, and European Union.
How does the author view the role of social networks in privacy?
The author highlights that individuals share sensitive information freely on social platforms, creating risks where personal behavior can be monitored and used against them, for instance by employers.
What distinction does the author make between illegal and legal behavior?
The author argues that governments are generally uninterested in the activities of law-abiding citizens, whereas surveillance is a necessary tool to identify threats to national security.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Peter Rössel (Autor:in), 2015, Positive and negative effects of data protection. The situation in the EU, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/318308
