[LINK] Professors Call Both Sides Wrong on Privacy

[Geoffrey Ramadan]

Jan Whitaker wrote:
> At 12:56 PM 26/10/2006, Geoff Ramadan wrote:
>> The trouble is, that you cannot run a business (any business 
>> including Government business) with out information.
>
> True as far as it goes. But 'what' information? How much information? 
> What quality of information? For what period of time? Going back how 
> far? About how many people? At what age? In what circumstances? Held 
> in what form? Distributed to whom? Accessible by whom? etc
>
> I can as easily say:
> "The trouble is, that you cannot run a business (any business 
> including Government business) with out" customers.
>
> If free market is a basic assumption, to counter those who reject 
> regulation, then allow the customer to have equally free choice in the 
> transaction and don't hold them to ransom over providing information 
> that they don't need to divulge in order to participate. Note the use 
> of the word 'need', not 'want'. There is a difference.
>
> Jan
>
Jan I am not suggesting that "free markets" is any reason to reject 
regulation.

In my mind it is clear that there needs to be a balance on both sides. 
On one side the realities of business to conduct business and collect 
and process information and other other to side respect for the privacy 
of the individual. It is not a one sided solution. Is a balance between 
the two, and in the end its about how much rights people are willing to 
give up in order to obtain some advantage.
eg.
1) providing information in order to improve MY efficiency in doing 
something
2) giving up some of my freedoms (tracking) in order to secure my safety
3) obeying the road rules in order to have a safe journey
4) opting into loyalty system to obtain some benefit.

All of which must be done lawfully.

However, I concede that law may not go far enough in protecting peoples 
rights. Hence I accept the need for regulations. I am trying to 
understand where this middle ground is. But to date I don't get much 
sense of middle ground. Only that peoples privacy is usurps all else on 
all situations, a position which I dont believe is realistic.

Geoffrey Ramadan B.E.(Elec)
Chairman, Automatic Data Capture Association (www.adca.com.au)
and
Managing Director, Unique Micro Design (www.umd.com.au)