[LINK] global privacy standards

stephen at melbpc.org.au stephen at melbpc.org.au
Mon Nov 9 15:05:40 AEDT 2009


Experts agree on proposed global privacy standards

November 9, 2009 - 2:08PM
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/experts-agree-on-
proposed-global-privacy-standards-20091109-i4o7.html


Experts from 50 nations meeting in Madrid have reached a draft agreement 
on international standards for the protection of privacy and personal 
data, participants said on Friday.

Under the proposed standards, data may only be processed after obtaining 
the "free, unambiguous and informed consent" of the data subjects and it 
should be deleted when it is no longer necessary for the purposes for 
which it was gathered.

Data collectors must identify themselves, state in clear language the 
purpose of the data processing and the recipients of the gathered data.

*International transfers of personal data may only be carried out to a 
country which "affords, as a minimum, the level of protection provided 
for in the document", according to the proposed standards, agreed by 
representatives from privacy protection agencies.*

"This agreement was reached with the active participation and support of 
civil society and industry," the head of the Spanish Data Protection 
Agency, Artemi Rallo Lombarte, said at the end of the three-day gathering.

Participants hope the draft international standards will serve as the 
basis for a universal, binding legal instrument on data protection. But 
several cautioned that this is still a long way off given the different 
rules around the world.

"We have jumped over a first step but we have a long road, a very long 
road, ahead to arrive at a common, restricting legal framework," said the 
president of France's CNIL data protection agency, Alex Turk.

More than 1000 participants from around the world took part in the 31st 
International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy, which is billed 
as the world's largest forum dedicated to privacy.

US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and representatives from 
internet firms such as Google and Facebook were among those that took 
part in the event, organised by the Spanish Data Protection Agency.

The next such conference is scheduled for next October in Jerusalem. 
Previous gatherings have taken place in Strasbourg, Hong Kong, Sydney and 
Montreal.

AFP


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