Namibian Name Database

[Mie1]

Another view on the privacy issue

Street View survives shut down demand




The Information Commissioner's Office has rejected a complaint from Privacy International that Google's Street View service violates the Data Protection Act.
Privacy International made the claim in March, and demanded that Street View be shut down, saying that it had "created numerous instances of embarrassment and distress".

It claimed that Street View's blurring technology, which seeks to "de-identify" people by automatically seeking and blurring faces and car number plates, was a "red herring" that would not prevent people being identified by Google's camera cars.

However, in a letter to Privacy International, the ICO says that Google's blurring technology is an "adequate safeguard" to those caught on camera, and notes that it has not been contacted by anyone "concerned that a reported image has not been amended or removed".

It also claims the number of images in which Google's blurring technology has been ineffective is "relatively tiny" compared to the "tens of millions" of images published on Street View.


It also rejected Privacy International's contention that Street View should have sought consent from every person who appears in a photograph, saying, "if consent were required by the law, then the producers of, say, Match of the Day, would have to gain the consent of all people attending televised football matches who might be caught on camera," and that "consent is just one of the grounds for processing personal data."

In the ICO's opinion, "there is no clear evidence that the community find Street View particularly harmful or insidious," although it says it will keep the service "under review."

Google Street View launched to a storm of media controversy, with the tabloids branding it a "burgler's charter" and a threat to privacy. In its complaint, Privacy International noted a case of a woman who had been moving house for "several years" to avoid a violent partner who "felt extreme distress" when a picture of her outside her home appeared on Street View.

Last week, Google's director of Google Earth and Maps, John Hankes said in an interview with The Times that Street View was "really popular and people are using it broadly and I am totally convinced that they are not all using it to plan robberies".

Privacy International could not be reached for comment.



PC Pro: News: Street View survives shut down demand

[miltonlouw]

So now I have a database of over 750,000 Namibians with their full names, date of birth and physical addresses. (and you can too)

“A writer writes not because he is educated but because he is driven by the need to communicate. Behind the need to communicate is the need to share. Behind the need to share is the need to be understood.” - Leo Rosten

Reality Bites. No two ways about it. Started this new year with such good intentions and then someone, somewhere does it again.

Must I keep quiet about this (mis)managment of data in our country. You decide...

For the past twenty years, I have made it a hobby to collect databases of every kind on Namibia. It started with business directories, trade information, consumer records, etc. This has become a substantial dbase with over 11,00 companies and 250,000 consumers. Much to my surprise, I discovered a rather easy way to get access to another 500,000 consumer records that includes their home addresses and dates of birth.

Come on, now is the time to put in place a privacy and data protection laws!

[Mie1]

Milton,


You will find plenty of people who will argue and talk about this, but, I doubt, whether there are even a fraction of the talkers are willing to walk the talk .... and actually DO something about the privacy and data protection issue in Namibia.

I suppose it sound too much like hard work ...........

PS. I am willing to help!

[miltonlouw]

Well, Namibia just did it again with the last election. All voters details are publicly available. The printouts of your name, surname, id number and physical address have been circulated on CD and is available for inspection at every constituency office. What I am doing is no longer an experiment. It is a fact that your details are out there:

Firms can’t protect consumers
Throughout the world there is a huge amount of resources being spent on research and development which in turn generates vast amounts of information that needs to be managed effectively, and efficiently. The pace of new technologies such as computers, their storage capabilities, and the ability to communicate with one another allows for ever larger quantities of information to be stored and analysed. A national electronic database will allow Namibia to move from a rural based economy to a knowledge based economy and meet its development goals.

Namibia has the aim of creating a successful social market economy. When we look at the recent history after the Second World War, we see the rebuilding of the German economy as one of the economic success stories of the last century. Upon closer examination, the building blocks of the state have included the ability to know the movement of all its residents. For example, when a person moves from one city to another, they have to register themselves at the local “Rathaus” or municipality. When we investigate the ability of the German business to trade with another, and more importantly to provide suppliers credit, we notice the importance of trade registers, both government and privately created.

The creation of a central public register in Namibia would have many benefits for the country. The most important would be the updating of information needed for planning purposes, without having to wait for the ten yearly censuses.

Overview of databases
A database is a collection of data, organised in a computer that allows rapid filtering and sorting of this information. A database is thus an electronic filing system. A Namibian national database will include a collection of varied information about our citizens and businesses. This will allow for a one-stop information base or storage facility for government ministries, State-owned Enterprises, municipalities and local districts. It will also allow access to the business community, both local and internationally, who require any information on Namibia.

A closer look at how information is organised, stored, retrieved and managed in Namibia shows that Namibia as a nation has not strategically made any effort to have a central database system which will function by gathering data from all sectors of the economy and managing the data in such a way that it becomes accessible to all for the purpose of delivering an efficient government and business function.

Benefits of database
The overwhelming benefit is that it will instantly be clear which sector is non-performing, and allow corrective measure to be taken to achieve Vision 2030.

Another benefit is that it can also reduce corruption; ensure greater transparency and good governance. As we begin to benchmark the advanced countries in their development efforts, one thing that has helped their economies is a national database and the lower levels of corruption can be attributed to the institution of a database that is accessible everywhere in their countries. As a result the performance of one's activity becomes a check on one another and there is no doubt that this makes people less corrupt and become more transparent.

In addition, the creation of a national register will mean that the registration of voters will be a continuous process as part of the management of services to our citizens. Thus we will save large amounts of money presently being spent on voters’ registration, as well costly exercises in verification.