Governance of citizens’ data reaches “critical point”

MEDIA RELEASE

7 September 2016

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Governance of citizens’ data reaches “critical point”

An expert in the governance and regulation of data technologies says New Zealand, and most other western countries, are at a “critical point” in the way we regulate and protect digitally captured personal data.

Professor William Webster of Scotland’s University of Stirling was speaking at a Victoria University of Wellington public lecture about the future challenges for governments in the constantly evolving era of Big Data.

Professor Webster says Big Data—the complex use of large data sets to reveal patterns and trends—is playing an increasingly bigger role in the direction and delivery of public services, particularly as we enter the age of ‘Smart Cities’ where public and private data sets are integrated for improved public services.

“Through the sophisticated ways Big Data is used, we’re able to gain valuable insights into human behaviours and interactions. Big Data is constantly evolving and it’s a game-changer for the public service in terms of policy-making and delivery.

“Big Data represents a critical point in the evolution of eGovernment. We need to think very carefully how we’re going to govern multiple information flows. We have no choice but to face the challenges and provide some sort of control over our data in accordance with our law.”

He says the public typically views the government as the protector of the personal information captured through services such as drivers’ licenses, passports, health records and tax histories.

“We do have in place rules about how that data is handled. But this doesn’t happen in a very sophisticated way at the moment. With Big Data having an increasing prominence in public sector services, we have to ask: are our current regulatory and governance processes good enough?”

When considering the future regulation and governance of Big Data, Professor Webster has identified the need for a number of new mechanisms that:

• audit the use of individual’s information by the public and private sectors

• govern and audit the ability to re-identify individuals in data sets for other uses

• determine the reliability of data, for example using social media to determine public sentiment

• determine appropriate levels of consent for information sharing

• discover and penalise data breaches.

Professor Webster is hosted by Victoria University’s School of Government for three months as the 2016 NZ-UK Link Foundation’s Visiting Professor. Professor Webster is the first United Kingdom professor to come to New Zealand through the programme, which has historically focused on New Zealand professors travelling to the UK.

His next public lecture, Body-worn Video Cameras and Public Services, will be on 19 September.

What: Body-Worn Video Cameras and Public Services
When: 12-1pm, Monday 19 September
Where: Grand Dining Room, Wellesley Boutique Hotel, 2-8 Maginnity St, Wellington

RSVP: forum@privacy.org.nz

Biography:

Professor Webster is a director of the Centre for Research into Information Surveillance and Privacy (CRISP), Europe’s only research centre dedicated to understanding the social impacts and consequences of technologically mediated surveillance. He has research expertise in the policy processes, regulation and governance of CCTV, surveillance in everyday life, privacy and surveillance ethics, as well as public policy relating to data protection and e-government. He is chair of the Scottish Privacy Forum and the LiSS COST Action, and is involved in a number of research projects. He is the first recipient of the NZ-UK Link Foundation Visiting Professor programme.

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