back to article Think tank rumbles over gov data-hogging

A conservative think tank has proposed an alternative model for managing personal data used in public services. It's ours: Why we, not government, must own our data, published by the Centre for Policy Studies and written by Liam Maxwell, says people should be able to choose a repository for their personal data and make it …

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  1. this
    Big Brother

    Opt out, but

    ...' it would not apply to matters of national security or law and order'. What doesn't, if it suits some bureaucrat's purpose? What a glorious get-out!

  2. Columbus
    Big Brother

    "open standards"

    British Government - open standards

    isn't that an oxymoron?

  3. A M Street
    Stop

    A little difficulty here I think

    "would require all public services to use open data standards" That should eliminate MS from any such project then.

  4. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Seconded ..... and getting down to the Nitty Gritty

    "British Government - open standards

    isn't that an oxymoron?" .... By Columbus Posted Monday 29th June 2009 09:49 GMT

    Yes, it is at least that. And governments are only always phishing for ideas to plagiarise as if of their own invention.

    And is anything other than that a dictatorship?

  5. Jerome 0
    Headmaster

    @ Columbus

    No, an oxymoron is a figure of speech wherein two terms which would usually be considered contradictory are combined. It's not just any sentence where two things that don't go together very well are mentioned.

  6. TeeCee Gold badge

    Ah, but remember the "Jedi" census.....

    What would actually happen would be a bunch of wags (including, I have to say, myself) would opt out in favour of having their data stored in a basement with no stairs or lights, locked in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying "Beware of the Leopard".

    I'm off to rent a dark basement so that I can charge 50 quid a pop for this valuable service....

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Hmmm...

    Whatever I might think of the government holding a lot of my personal data I'm not sure I would prefer Microsoft or Google to hold it instead.

    A right wing think tank promoting the role of the private sector like this is hardly a surprise though.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Government standards are open

    and freely available, and have been for a while now, it's called eGiF, enjoy.

  9. Ted Treen
    Stop

    Microsoft holding my medical data....?

    If that happened, I would expect to be treated for pregnancy, PMS and ovarian cysts.

    And I'm a (fairly) healthy male, of almost 60 years...

  10. frank 3
    Joke

    @Jerome 0

    Exactly.

    What Columbus refers to is usually denoted as an 'oxy-cretin'

    Or is that an acne cream?

  11. Graham Marsden
    Big Brother

    Opt IN, not opt OUT!!!

    The title says it all.

  12. Alf Frero
    WTF?

    eGIF?

    Have you actually used any government web based services?

    You know, the services that require particular supplier products?

    Or perhaps you mean the ones that only provide tools and guidance that require specific products even if the service is "universally accessible?

    Please, tell us more.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Project creep alert

    Hmm, surely not storing your personal information anywhere is the first step to empowering the electorate, if its not stored anywhere it cant be 'obtained' by legal injuction at a later date, its also not subject to the storage and security policies of third parties.

    I just dont understand this drive to digitising people, what function does it serve? The data is only any use if its accurate anyway and if you think the minumum wage data slaves care when they transpose the information you are sorely mistaken.

  14. Trevor Watt

    So you opt out....

    And when you want a service or to open a bank account or get a credit card you will not get it unless you let the credit checking companies have access to your opted-out data. Because that is how it will end up, they will get access to our data eventually. Which is why the ID card database for example is so wrong, as that and any other data held by local or national government will end up being accessible by certain companies etc anyway, probably in the name of 'Fraud Protection' or 'Security'.

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    Going, going, gone - all over the world

    As a data controller and reasonably upto speed with data security and avoiding breaches, is it only me or does anyone else find it disquieting that it's been suggested that the Govt uses a 3rd party provider to store highly sensitive personal data especially where one of the suggested providers does not have a good track record of managing personal data well? People are concerned about the govt's ability to manage data but surely it's better the devil you know than the one don't? Just think how much money you could make by selling off medical data. Insurance companies would love to know who has what to make sure that policies are cancelled and/or premiums raised to force out unhealthy policy holders - surely not I hear you say but believe you me it will happen.

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