more on Data for those who have the power to request it

Begin forwarded message:

From: Konstantinos Stylianou <stiliamail <at> yahoo.gr>
Date: January 13, 2007 11:12:43 AM EST
To: dave <at> farber.net
Subject: Re: [IP] Data for those who have the power to request it

Hey all,

Just a short comment about the boston article as a greek lawyer. It  
is not perfectly correct that the information systems in this  
particular case are stretched beyond their intended uses. The  
relevant decision of the Hellenic Data Protection Agency (58/2005)  
according to which only the Traffic Agency can collect, retain and  
process videocamera data and exclusively for use of traffic  
regulation, clearly states that "in case of a special emergency the  
collected data can be used for other purposes as well, but only after  
an expressly permission by the Data Protection Agency [...] and only  
under the condition that there is no violation of the fundamental  
rights of the subjects depicted" (dec. 58/2005, para 3B). And,  
although the Police (nor any other public entity) has access to the  
data, cooperation between the Police and the Traffic Agency is not  
out of the question.
It is one thing to protect citizens and another to produce law, so  
rigid and inconsiderate of special circumstances that takes us to the  
opposite direction.
Thank you.

David Farber wrote: