New Report #1

“Germany to Update Data Protection Laws After Scandals”
By Simon Sturdee
Thursday September 4, 2008
Website:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080904/tc_afp/germanycrimeinternet;_ylt=As4IcCo059sbigYuwn8yAM36VbIF

Technology and the Internet are rapidly growing globally and will continue to mature each year. Today, you can do almost anything on your computer and access Internet almost anywhere. Although I believe advancement in technology today is a positive way to look into what the future might hold, there are the negative aspects to consider as well. In the article, one individual stated, "The problem is that in a new world of information technology the data are subject to new uses and risks of abuse. To do something against this means that we should consider whether these hitherto legal sources of data remain appropriate or whether new legal measures should be brought in."

Because information is more readily available to a growing number of people, numerous scandals prove how easily personal information details can be provided and bought for cheap on the Internet. In Berlin Germany, German ministers have agreed to update data protection laws to help protect peoples’ personal information. In Mid-August German Officials were informed of an incident where a former call centre employer gave authorities a CD which provided bank information details of 17,000 people which said his employer had obtained from a lottery firm. The individual whom found the information was, Detlef Tiegel, and boasted how he had the details of 1.5 million others, and after a series of similar revelations, it becomes clear, the 36-year-old, had only revealed the beginning. Officials tested how easy it was to receive personal details over the Internet for a fairly cheap price given what information they were able to obtain. Within only a few days, officials managed to buy over six million items of personal data for just 850 Euros ($1,230 US dollars). This caused pandemonium, and encouraged officials to begin taking particular precautions on how to update data-protection regulations and reassure consumers that their personal information’s safe.

With the advancement in technology, I myself as a consumer sometimes fear how much of my own personal information might be available to others on the Internet. I enjoy how easy and convenient online shopping can be, but just last year I was caught in a scam where a group of individuals were able to retrieve some of my personal and financial information through an online transaction. Luckily, proper precautions were taken in time before they were able to actually use any of my information to their benefits. As technology information continue to rapidly grow, certain regulation laws are something I believe everyone should be looking into now, so it is not so easy for the public to receive, sell, or purchase personal details.