UK Information Commissioner Calls for Global Consensus on Privacy

Richard Thomas, the UK Information Commissioner, recently gave the keynote address at the International Association of Privacy Professionals in Washington, and called on the international community to achieve a more harmonized and consistent approach to privacy law. Citing well-known inconsistencies of approach to cross-border information flows between the US and the EU such as transfer of airline passenger data and financial data via the SWIFT system, Thomas asserted:

"There is already considerable support for a global privacy standard which includes the need for genuine consent to be obtained for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information, a duty of care for personal information and limitations on the use and retention of personal data".

For the text of the press release relating to the Richard Thomas speech, visit the web site of the Office of the UK Information Commissioner at : http://tinyurl.com/2r74sk Summary by: The Editor