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At the dawn of a new technological age, moments of doubt are inevitable. Despite the actual and potential benefits of the digital era, it is clear that many are now wondering whether the downsides in terms of loss of privacy and the threat of criminality are too high a price to pay.
According to a survey conducted for the Information Commissioner’s Office, the public no longer has faith in the ability of government and other institutions to protect personal data. Over half the respondents said they had no confidence in the way banks, local authorities and government departments handled personal information.
So how can society regain its faith in the correct use of information? No one who has seen the advances achieved by the information industry over the past decade can be in any doubt that this digital era presents immense opportunities for the spread of learning and knowledge.
Yet if confidence is not restored in the integrity and security of data, there is a real danger that progress will stall.
One possible way to bring back confidence was explored by Information Commissioner Richard Thomas, who has called for tougher penalties for those who breach data protection laws. His specific complaint was that although criminal sentences to punish those who illegally trade information have found their way onto the statute books, their implementation has been delayed.
Few would argue that laws passed by parliament should be implemented. But there is also a question of how data protection laws would be enforced. According to Thomas, the public sector attitude to data protection in particular remains worrying.
The wider point that the law finds it hard to address is that most people have a lackadaisical attitude to data.
It is apparent in all the major debates that fill the pages of IWR: plagiarism, copyright, the price paid for information. Changing the law may help, but success will be marked primarily by a change in attitude.
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