Your data at risk from 'Big Brother' Blair

NEWS Government plans for sharing people's personal data between departments have been condemned by industry figures today for putting individuals' privacy at risk. Ross Anderson, chair of the Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR), said the new plans, backed by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, have serious flaws. "Amongst other things this turns the Information Commission - currently the place where data protection laws are enforced - into a unit just designed to create public confidence in sharing information," he said. "They're turning our supposedly independent watchdog into a PR machine for government policy." The criticism is in response to a long-delayed report by the Performance and Innovation Unit on data sharing in government finally published yesterday. The consultation is the precursor to legislation, and could be made into law as early as next year. Among the problems, said Anderson, is the fact proposals would give ministers the power to authorise sharing personal data between departments without consent, and without the scrutiny of parliament. This could be done by putting a bill through parliament specifically allowing further extensions of powers to be granted by secondary legislation, which often means parliament doesn't get the chance to look. The government today admitted this was one of the courses it was considering, however it rejected the FIPR arguments. A Cabinet Office spokesman said: "We're not arguing for this as the only solution here. There are a number of options and this is a consultation paper so there are going to be differences of opinion. We welcome constructive criticism." The government says people need to be aware of the benefits sharing data between government departments could bring in terms of delivering better services to citizens. However, privacy activists do not see it like that. They claim the government is sneaking 'Big Brother' powers in under the noses of the public. FIPR's Andersen criticised the government for deliberately not publicising the publication of the report, an allegation the Cabinet Office firmly rejected as untrue and "opportunistic" criticism. Criticism has also come from outside the privacy lobby. Dr Ian Kearns, senior research fellow for centre-left think-tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said the report didn't do enough to preserve citizens' privacy. He said: "The weakness here is in building the trust of the public and in protecting their privacy. The government seems to think the Data Protection Act is enough to do this - but it isn't."