David BicknellE-Minister Patricia Hewitt has admitted that more work needs to
be done before Europe and the US can exchange personal data without
infringing the rights of European citizens.
Following a fact-finding tour of the east coast of the US,
Hewitt said her trip had confirmed that data privacy is a growing
issue that needs resolution.
Although the US and Europe had agreed on a data privacy scheme
called Safe Harbour, several European nations are unhappy that the
scheme does not protect European citizens.
Under the scheme, which has been 18 months in discussion, US
firms would be able to sign up voluntarily to data protection
principles, by which they would be bound, with agencies such as the
Federal Trade Commission overseeing them.
Hewitt agreed that despite the headline agreement, much work has
to be done on both sides to ensure that it works effectively. "We
have to understand each other's position. Data processing is a
global and now a national issue," she said.
Meanwhile, US businesses and government have failed to give full
backing to a ground-breaking data privacy scheme, despite agreeing
to the Safe Harbour model. The Privacy Code of Conduct, created by
the International Commerce Exchange, is being updated
to advise IT managers how to use safe harbour. In Europe the code
has been promised funding from countries including France, The
Netherlands and Italy.
However, according to an International Commerce Exchange
spokesman, the US has made it clear that it does not want generic
codes developed which might become global standards.
Nick Mansfield of Shell Services International, a driving force
behind the code's creation, said the US position was no surprise
and reflected its starting position in many international
negotiations. "If you are an IT director and you want to know where
to start on privacy, the code of conduct is what you should
follow." he said.