A European perspective on data processing consent through the re-conceptualization of European data protection’s looking glass after the Lisbon Treaty: Taking rights seriously

Copyright @ 2012 Kluwer Law International. Reprinted from European Review of Private Law, 20(2): 473 - 506, 2012, with permission of Kluwer Law International.EU data protection law is undergoing a process of reform to meet the challenges of the modern economy and rapid technological developments. This study re-conceptualizes data protection in the EU in light of the enactment of the Treaty of Lisbon and the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. It focuses on data subjects' consent as a key component of data processing legislation - alongside the principles of purpose specification and data quality - to reinforce the view that it is a necessary, though not sufficient, tool to guarantee the declared high level of protection of individuals. To prevent confusion, conflation, or abuse of consent and safeguard the fundamental values to which it is tied, this paper puts forward that additional legal constraints and qualifications would be necessary for the enhancement of its application and enforcement. Soft or libertarian paternalism may be the key to nudge individuals towards the desired social outcome while preserving their individual autonomy. The ultimate suggestion is that EU policy makers should take rights seriously and not be seduced by and surrender to conflicting economic interests

Linked democracy : foundations, tools, and applications

Chapter 1Introduction to Linked DataAbstractThis chapter presents Linked Data, a new form of distributed data on theweb which is especially suitable to be manipulated by machines and to shareknowledge. By adopting the linked data publication paradigm, anybody can publishdata on the web, relate it to data resources published by others and run artificialintelligence algorithms in a smooth manner. Open linked data resources maydemocratize the future access to knowledge by the mass of internet users, eitherdirectly or mediated through algorithms. Governments have enthusiasticallyadopted these ideas, which is in harmony with the broader open data movement

Reinventing Regulation/Reinventing Accountability: Judicial Review in New Governance Regimes.

This Essay considers the doctrinal and institutional challenges courts and designers of New Governance systems face when considering the availability and scope of judicial review. Part II briefly summarizes New Governance principles, while Part III explains the challenges they pose for American standing law. The Essay then considers solutions. Part IV considers aspects of other nations’ administrative standing law, considering whether those nations’ legal innovations overcome these hurdles while remaining true to courts’ proper role in reviewing agency action. Other nations have taken significant steps to resolve these issues; however, it remains unclear whether those resolutions transfer to the different institutional and legal structure in the United States. Part V considers whether the problem of standing can be resolved in a principled way by reconceptualizing the injury plaintiffs allege when they challenge New Governance regulation. Finally, Part VI considers the proper scope of judicial review of New Governance regulation. Cet article traite des défis doctrinaux et institutionnels qui se présentent aux tribunaux et aux concepteurs de systèmes de Nouvelle Gouvernance lorsqu’ils envisagent la disponibilité et la portée de la révision judiciaire. La partie II résume brièvement les principes de Nouvelle Gouvernance alors que la partie III explique les défis qu’ils présentent pour la législation américaine en vigueur. L’article considère ensuite des solutions. La partie IV traite d’aspects de la législation administrative en vigueur d’autres nations, en examinant si les innovations juridiques de ces nations surmontent ces obstacles tout en demeurant fidèles au rôle approprié des tribunaux lorsqu’ils révisent les actions d’agences. D’autres nations ont adopté des mesures importantes pour solutionner ces questions; toutefois, il n’est pas encore clair si ces solutions peuvent s’appliquer à la structure institutionnelle et juridique différente des États-Unis. La partie V considère si le problème de la qualité pour agir peut être résolu de façon qui respecte les principes en conceptualisant différemment le préjudice allégué par le demandeur qui conteste la réglementation de la Nouvelle Gouvernance. Finalement, la partie VI considère la portée appropriée de la révision judiciaire de la réglementation de Nouvelle Gouvernance

Linked Democracy

This open access book shows the factors linking information flow, social intelligence, rights management and modelling with epistemic democracy, offering licensed linked data along with information about the rights involved. This model of democracy for the web of data brings new challenges for the social organisation of knowledge, collective innovation, and the coordination of actions. Licensed linked data, licensed linguistic linked data, right expression languages, semantic web regulatory models, electronic institutions, artificial socio-cognitive systems are examples of regulatory and institutional design (regulations by design). The web has been massively populated with both data and services, and semantically structured data, the linked data cloud, facilitates and fosters human-machine interaction. Linked data aims to create ecosystems to make it possible to browse, discover, exploit and reuse data sets for applications. Rights Expression Languages semi-automatically regulate the use and reuse of content. ; Links information flow, social intelligence, rights management, and modelling with epistemic democracy Presents examples of regulatory and institutional desig

The legal and ethical implications of electronic patient health records and e-health on Australian privacy and confidentiality law

This thesis addresses the legal and ethical issues posed by introduction of electronic patient health records. Against the background of an analysis of broader conceptual and theoretical understandings of development of electronic patient health records (EPR) and e-health regimes in Australia and comparable countries over the last few decades, the thesis critically examines the extent to which its implementation is consistent with established legal and ethical principles underpinning traditional health assumptions and practices. To this end the thesis explores the evolution and progress of modern health, technology, law and governance issues in e-health, identifying critical features of emerging EPR and e-health systems such as broad innovative industry technology involvement, and potentially problematic practices such as personal information ‘collection’, ‘sharing’ and ‘networking’ activities. The thesis contends that while adopting technology such as e-health comports with modern day progress, the transformational power of technology on society and individual lives has the potential to impose significant human costs for health consumers and everyday life. Through an analysis of the new electronic regime the thesis reveals how Australian Governments, healthcare providers, consumers and other stakeholders interpret and deal with advances in personal healthcare information changes in the new electronic system. The healthcare privacy model advanced in the thesis, in conjunction with an analysis grounded in theories of deliberative democracy, provides the foundation for the thesis argument that the legal, ethical and democratic challenges posed to privacy and participation interests by implementation of e-health policies can best be alleviated in Australia through further structural reforms beyond those recently proposed by a federal review. The thesis contends that an independent ‘Council’, with broad powers to consult and engage the public is an important part of the solution to the political and economic problems identified by the thesis analysis showing that individual privacy protection in healthcare is threatened and that earlier privacy protection mechanisms may prove inadequate in the emerging global information era