Dilemmas of privacy and surveillance: challenges of technological change

Abstract

Increasing amounts of electronic data about individuals are being collected as we go about our daily lives. This is beneficial when it means, for example, easier access to medical records at the time and place they are needed, better personal security against theft and violence, and more precisely targeted supermarket special offers. But it would seem that these benefits come at a cost, that there is always a trade off between the benefits of data collection and preserving our privacy. In a recent report, a working group of the Royal Academy of Engineering argues that one can have security, convenience and privacy – if good engineering principles are followed. The report, Dilemmas of Privacy and Surveillance: Challenges of Technological Change (available electronically at http://tinyurl.com/yul7kl), raises a number of issues for government, privacy specialists and the public need to consider.

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