Privacy – The protection of the private sphere |
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The amount of data generated and stored in different systems has increased enormously due to the digitisation of information and the rapid diffusion of Internet and mobile communication. "Ubiquitous Computing" and powerful biometric identification systems have extended hitherto unknown possibilities of surveillance and have opened up new forms of data collection, combination and analysis. Technological development is not a single-track process however: Efficient technologies, which are supposed to protect privacy have been developed and introduced. However, these technologies have so far lacked significant usage rates. Together with the classic technically induced approach, which attempts to assess the consequences of concrete technologies, a problem-oriented method appears to be becoming more important in this context. "Privacy in the digital world" is the analytical focus of this research programme. Its aim is to identify and analyse the network of relationships involved between technologies, basic rights, social and political consequences and thereby derive options for action. Hence, the impact of ICTs on privacy is the starting point and the core of analysis. Furthermore, other technology and society-related "hot issues" (such as biometry, biotechnology, freedom of information and expression etc.) are dealt with in the context of 's privacy research area. Due to changes of the political climate after the terror attacks in New York, Madrid and London we can see a significant raise in speed of diffusion of biometric technologies. At the same time the diffusion of privacy enhancing technologies may be hindered by these societal climate. For the research focus privacy this means, that societal relevance will raise and on the other hand public money for research may alleviate. The discussion whether private or public sector is more endangering privacy is also obsolete because public authorities try to get access to private data too (see the recent Directive on data retention). On the other hand there are signs, that security may no longer be the dominant and unquestioned argument. Privacy friendly shaping of security technologies became an important field. Projects in the research focus dealt with basic work on the international situation of privacy (EPTA-privacy project) and now with participative approaches in the EU-PASR-project PRISE, which aims at privacy friendly shaping of security technologies. Beyond ICT and privacy we analyse recent developments in the post-genomic aera and their relevance for genetic privacy. Moreover we plan to set up projects on the development of the fair information principles, the privacy divide and the TA of wide spread use of RFID technology.
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