ESRC Society Today

30 June 2009, London

Whether it is news stories about data loss or the press discussing rights to privacy, there is no doubt about the need to address privacy as an issue with important public policy implications. A series of regulatory and legislative requirements have to be met by business and government departments, with initiatives such as the Government’s 2008 Data Handling Review mandating the conduct of privacy impact assessments.

Whilst guidance from the information Commissioner has been a good starting point on how to assess privacy impact and on how to meet the requirements of legislation, a range of questions still remain for businesses, large and small, whether data holders or vendors who consult on security and privacy or supply privacy enhancing technologies. These questions are not simply ones of clarity but also ones of practice, both in terms of establishing cost-effective standardisation and objectivity.

The situation is made more complicated because consumer views about privacy are mixed. Some view privacy as a luxury good which can be exchanged in the short term for quick financial gain, others are anxious about the aggregation over time of tradable personal information. For many there isn't a problem.

The aim of this seminar was to bring forward ideas that can help inform best practice and explore the evidence base on which processes and technologies can be developed and deployed.

This seminar was organised in collaboration with the Cyber Security KTN.

Download Seminar Agenda and Presentations

1. Assessing Privacy Impact Seminar Agenda (PDF, 81Kb)
2. Dr Ian Brown, University of Oxford (PDF, 344Kb)
3. Dr Lizzie Coles-Kemp, Royal Holloway, University of London (PDF, 0.99Mb)
4. Toby Stevens, Enterprise Privacy Group (PDF, 82.4Kb)
5. Dr Simon Bramble, National Police Improvement Agency (PDF, 75.1Kb)

Download Supporting Publication

• Assessing Privacy Impact - Publication (PDF, 1.08Mb)