Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

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| 3.4.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CE 84/129 |

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(2004/C 84 E/0166)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-4002/03

by Marco Cappato (NI) to the Commission

(19 December 2003)

Subject:   Violation of privacy at the World Summit on the Information Society

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) took place from 10 to 12 December 2003 at the Palaexpo in Geneva.

Three of the experts present — Alberto Escudero-Pascual (of the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm), Stephane Koch (president of the Internet Society, Geneva) and George Danezis (a Cambridge University researcher) — have complained that the badges issued them on registration for the Summit contained radio frequency identification chips (RFID chips) enabling individual delegates' movements within the Palaexpo's different areas to be tracked.

It appears from the three experts' complaints that the use of such chips and the lack of a privacy policy on the part of the WSIS place it in breach of the EU privacy directive, of the UN guidelines on the use of personal files, and of Swiss law on personal data protection.

Was the Commission aware that the badges contained chips of this nature?

Will the Commission seek formal explanations from the organisers of the summit and the Swiss government, and will it call for the full and immediate deletion of the personal data thus illegally collected?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(28 January 2004)

At the World Summit on the Information Society held in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003, use was reportedly made of RFID technology-based badges to control access to certain restricted areas at the Summit venue.

Although the Commission in principle promotes the use of new, innovative technology such as RFID, any application based on such technology should respect the principles applicable to the processing of personal data of Union citizens transferred from the Union to a third country.

The RFID system seemed to be partly functioning on the basis of the processing of personal data of participants who had registered online, prior to the Summit, from their resident country.

The Commission will seek further information on whether and how RFID-based applications were used in relation to personal data transferred from the Union, in order to assess the legality of the processing under Community law.

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