Johann Čas

Privacy in pervasive computing environments - a contradiction in terms?

Technical progress in electronics allows the transformation of visions of pervasive computing into real world options. This perspective has raised deep concerns about the survival of privacy, as central building blocks of pervasive computing are in direct conflict with the fundaments of privacy protection. Considerable efforts have been undertaken to cope with these concerns with only limited success. While pertinent efforts have resulted in solutions for single aspects, they proved insufficient to eliminate the fears; on the contrary, they highlighted the principal incompatibility of privacy and pervasive information systems. Technical concepts alone, regardless how complex they are, cannot be sufficient; rather, a mix of privacy enhancing technologies, restrictions on the utilization of pervasive computing, and new regulations required to preserve some remnants of privacy.

Ubiquitous Computing, Privacy and Data Protection: Options and Limitations to Reconcile the Unprecedented Contradictions

The emerging paradigm of ubiquitous computing promises unprecedented levels of support of human activities by information technologies working invisibly in the background and providing their services in an unobtrusive and effortless manner. At the same time, these systems will bring about so far inconceivable levels of surveillance, collection of personal data, their merging and continuous transfer and processing, creating unprecedented threats to privacy and data protection. As a consequence ubiquitous computing is also challenging central human values that are affiliated to privacy, embracing items like individual autonomy, democracy or societal sustainability. The inherent threats to privacy have been recognised from the very beginning of the development of this vision and numerous attempts have been undertaken to reconcile the obviously conflicting objectives of ubiquitous computing and the principles of current data protection. The core of contemporary data protection is based on a general limitation of the generation, processing and use of personally identifiable data, supplemented by sets of rules which define exceptions from the general prohibition and regulate these specific cases. A major stream of efforts to preserve privacy under the new technological regime focused on the integration of privacy protection principles into ubiquitous computing technologies; in more recent times, the suitability of current regulatory framework for the emerging new paradigm of information technologies moved closer to the centre of attention. Both directions, the development of privacy enhancing, ubiquitous computing technologies and adaptations of legislation to accommodate the enormous threats for privacy possess certain mitigating potentials, but are either insufficient or incompatible with the core objectives of the new technical paradigm. Measures that are sufficient to confront the vision of ubiquitous computing with more than an illusion of privacy will probably also require changes in the paradigm of current data protection principles and a reshaping of the vision towards societal sustainability.

Surveillance, Privacy and Security: Citizens’ Perspectives

This volume examines the relationship between privacy, surveillance and security, and the alleged privacy–security trade-off, focusing on the citizen’s perspective. Recent revelations of mass surveillance programmes clearly demonstrate the ever-increasing capabilities of surveillance technologies. The lack of serious reactions to these activities shows that the political will to implement them appears to be an unbroken trend. The resulting move into a surveillance society is, however, contested for many reasons. Are the resulting infringements of privacy and other human rights compatible with democratic societies? Is security necessarily depending on surveillance? Are there alternative ways to frame security? Is it possible to gain in security by giving up civil liberties, or is it even necessary to do so, and do citizens adopt this trade-off? This volume contributes to a better and deeper understanding of the relation between privacy, surveillance and security, comprising in-depth investigations and studies of the common narrative that more security can only come at the expense of sacrifice of privacy. The book combines theoretical research with a wide range of empirical studies focusing on the citizen’s perspective. It presents empirical research exploring factors and criteria relevant for the assessment of surveillance technologies. The book also deals with the governance of surveillance technologies. New approaches and instruments for the regulation of security technologies and measures are presented, and recommendations for security policies in line with ethics and fundamental rights are discussed. This book will be of much interest to students of surveillance studies, critical security studies, intelligence studies, EU politics and IR in general.

Privacy and Security: A Brief Synopsis of the Results of the European TA-Project PRISE

Communication technologies, biometric methods, the capabilities of sensors and the technical potential to analyse huge amounts of data are progressing constantly and quickly. Technical progress allows for ever deeper views and intrusions into private life. Apart from economic interests, applications of these technologies in the context of security do specifically represent a major driving force behind excessive use of these opportunities at the cost of the fundamental right of privacy. The major objective of the EU-project PRISE was to develop criteria and recommendations for security technologies and security research in line with human rights in order to allow for privacy enhancing implementation and use of security technologies. The results of the PRISE-project are based on the combined application of different research approaches: apart from traditional TA-methods, participative processes played a central role. Stakeholders and users of security technologies as well as citizens from six European countries were involved in the participatory activities of this research project.