News: EDPS Opinion on ITS

From European Digital Rights: The European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx has issued his opinion on the EC's plan to step up plans for the Intelligent Transport Systems - applications using information and communication technologies such as GPS embedded in different modes of transport. He is calling for:

• More clarity with regard to the legal requirements of data protection accross Europe
• Data Controllers to be clearly identified: "as they will bear the responsibility to ensure that privacy and data protection considerations are implemented at all levels of the chain of processing."
• Appropriate safeguards "so that the use of location technologies is not intrusive from a privacy viewpoint. This should notably require further clarification as to the specific circumstances in which a vehicle will be tracked, strictly limiting the use of location devices to what is necessary for that purpose and ensuring that location data are not disclosed to unauthorized recipients".
• Implementation "with due respect for data protection principles and practical safeguards on security"
• Gathered data not to be used "for further purposes that are incompatible with those for which they were collected" - calling for Privacy by Design in ITS applications
• Privacy and data protection to be built in from the beginning
• Data Protection Authorities such as itself and the Article 29 Working Party to be involved through consultation on all ITS deployment initiatives.