Irene Kamara

Drones. Current challenges and standardisation solutions in the field of privacy and data protection

The issue of drones has burst onto the public agenda due to the rapid expansion from their military and enforcement use to the domestic market where seemingly endless uses appear. This paper is focused on the analysis of the risks to privacy and data protection that arise from these devices and the efforts in Europe to establish a framework to address the problems. The papers thesis is double: first, the current data protection rules in the European Union (EU) do not adequately cover the implications for civil liberties of the potential use of pervasive aerial surveillance systems and second, the idea that privacy standards have a supportive role to the regulations as they can have added value by mitigating some privacy risks and promoting compliance of the drone operators and data controllers with data protection principles.

Data Protection Certification in the EU: Possibilities, Actors and Building Blocks in a Reformed Landscape

Certification and seals as a form of co-regulation have been on the EU agenda for over a decade. Enhancing consumer trust and promoting transparency and compliance are central arguments in the policy endorsement for certification. In the field of data protection, the General Data Protection Regulation has substantiated considerably these policy objectives of the European Commission. Our contribution discusses the new legal EU regime for data protection certification. Starting from the background of data protection certification and the preparatory works of the General Data Protection Regulation, the chapter analyses the legal provisions in the new EU data protection framework and reflects on the steps after the Regulation starts to apply.

Certified Video Surveillance Systems for More Resilient Urban Societies

Resilience and security are prominent elements of twenty-first century European and international political agenda. The focus on resilient systems that are able to respond to threats, as well as to anticipate and recover, plays an important role in this regard. Increasingly sophisticated video surveillance systems form a part of security and disaster response mechanisms. In addition to technological advancement of surveillance systems, there are also concerns about the potential trade-off with human rights and freedoms of citizens. Thus, there is a need for means that allow for the protection of freedoms and human rights, while also ensuring security. One such solution, which deals with the potential of a new pan-European certification scheme for video surveillance systems, is presented in this chapter. This scheme focuses on evaluation according to the social dimensions of Security, Trust, Efficiency and Freedom infringement (S-T-E-Fi). Based on a description of the evaluation methodology and its criteria, two scenarios and how the methodology would be used for the purposes of evaluation of installed video surveillance systems operating within these scenarios are presented. The article finishes by outlining the future development of this scheme as well as further research needs.