06.09.2009 Verbraucherdatenschutz

Data Security for Consumers

The transparent citizen
eGK - Elektronic Health Card
ELENA - The Jobcard
Payback and other consumer cards
Google Street View
Toll Systems
Danger in social networks
Scoring
Our Links concerning civil rights and data protection
Other links and press releases

One who should know: „You have to fight for your privacy or you will loose it“ © Eric Schmidt, Chairman Google, 2013

Data scandals in 2008/2009 have shown that even in the private sector people were monitored illegaly and personality profiles are stored. This is done at two levels. First, the employee is monitored by his company and interfered in his privacy, on the other hand everyone is monitored as consumer in order to use these data collections for increased business success.

In the following sections we want to make clear the dangers and possible solutions.

The transparent citizen

In many areas we are being monitored and profiles are build. The following examples actually affect most people in Germany.

The electronic health card (eGK, lektronische Gesundheitskarte)

All health insured people in Germany, that means everyone, will get an "electronic health card". Health data belonging to an extremely sensitive area of life. There are entire industries that interested on the processing and sale of such data. Due to the scope and detail of the electronic health card data, the potential for abuse by criminals and by the private economy is enormous. The planned infrastructure, and especially the procurement of sub-projects have serious doubts about the statements that the data will be secure.

Field tests with this card in northern Germany and most recently in North Rhine-Westphalia brought the result that all parties were dissatisfied with the card. The reasons were, apart from risks to protect our data, the lack of speed, the cost (for doctors, pharmacies, ...) and the fussiness. Thus, the insured must remember a 6 digit pin, for access to the card which most people failed to remember.

Read more here.
All articles about the electronic health card

ELENA - The Jobcard

Every monthly a set of special data will be sent to the central "German pension insurance". So the data of the approximately 40 million working people in Germany should be stored. This is the income, social as well as personal information such as absenteeism, warnings, participation in "legal" or "illegal" strikes.

For the applications of various social services such as child care or housing allowances, sick pay or elaboration lots the respective authorities have access to these data. For this purpose, the applicant must identify itsself with his job card and authorize the access to his data.

Read more here.
All articles about ELENA

Payback and other customer cards

Here you (still) can fight back. These cards that a promise to a discount (a few parts per thousand) but shopping is voluntary. No one has to get such a card like this. Such loyalty cards store the personal shopping behavior. So conclusions about your future purchases and the size of your purse can be derived. This can have a direct impact on the credit-worthiness (see Fig. Scoring).

All articles about customer cards

Google Street View

Sooner or later we all will be photographed by the camera car of Google street view. Google does not ask beforehand whether we or other people we are together or just sunbathing want to be put into the Internet.

For its street view service, the company Google sends cars equipped with cameras on the streets to take 360-degree panoramas of its surroundings. The images are stored and will later be posted on the Internet almost unchanged with address strobe. Google infringes the personal rights, especially the right to your own image. The German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG) requires a consent already in the collection of data, so when shooting and storing the photos.

All articles about Google and data protection

Toll Systems

Many toll system store personal data or even motion profiles of people. We have investigated this problem in automotive toll systems.

All articles about Mautsystemen

Dangers in social networks

This part is still nearly empty. So go ahead, get active and write your thoughts on the topic!

personal data
open access
voluntary vs. peer pressure
commercial use of data is permitted by their own terms and conditions (AGB)

Scoring

Here is still little. So go ahead, get active and write your thoughts on the subject under the article scoring!

credit-worthiness
impenetrability of the calculation
koosing your creditworthiness if you try to get informations at several financial institutions
your living environment determines your creditworthiness