Newsletter No. 149
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FreePint
"Helping 64,000 people use the Web for their work"
http://www.freepint.com/
ISSN 1460-7239 20th November 2003 No.149
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IN THIS ISSUE
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EDITORIAL
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Penny Leidtke
FREEPINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
JOBS
Information service team member
Head of Information & Research (Start-Up)
Source Co-ordinator - Information and Knowledge Systems
Records Management Specialist
Junior Information Officer
TIPS ARTICLE
"Re-Entry Shock or Reverse Culture Shock"
By Vivienne Sales
BOOKSHELF
"Information and IT Literacy: Enabling Learning in the 21st Century"
Reviewed by Jonathan Smart
FEATURE ARTICLE
"Data Protection for Websites and Intranets"
By Paul Pedley
EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
CONTACT INFORMATION
ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/201103.htm>
FULLY FORMATTED VERSION
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**Marketresearch.com - Timely Research Builds Competitive Advantage**
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Over 60,000 business intelligence publications from 350 of the
industry's most respected publishers make Marketresearch.com your
comprehensive, global information source. Visit our Web site today by
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>>> ABOUT FREEPINT <<<
FreePint is an online network of information searchers. Members
receive this free newsletter twice a month: it is packed with tips
on finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet.
Joining is free at <http://www.freepint.com/> and provides access to
a substantial archive of articles, reviews, jobs & events, with
answers to research questions and networking at the FreePint Bar.
Please circulate this newsletter which is best read when printed out.
To receive a fully formatted version as an attachment or a brief
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EDITORIAL
FreePint has more than 60,000 members in 200 countries, but a question
we are often asked is just who are FreePint people? Job titles of our
members include information professionals, web producers, knowledge
managers, intranet managers and content managers. As we continue to
grow, it's hard for readers, advertisers and authors to envisage the
typical FreePint reader. Perhaps you see FreePint as an amorphous mass
of people? How do we continually develop while ensuring that we serve
the needs of a community that has grown to be so vast? Naturally, we
have demographics, but dry statistics don't always give the whole
picture, so we have been using 'personas'. Personas are hypothetical
archetypes for actual users and the way they behave. This technique is
used by Web professionals to help guide decisions about product
features, navigation or visual design. The BBC used personas when
it tackled the re-design of its extensive Web site. Today we
publish the FreePint personas - a small sample of typical (but
fictional) FreePint people. Take at look at
<http://www.freepint.com/personas.htm>.
The most important international event in the information industry's
calendar - Online Information 2003 - takes place in a couple of weeks
time and we will be launching our exciting new subscription
publication VIP <http://www.FreePintVIP.com/>. We have a very special
and memorable theme to our stand this year, so come and see us at
stand 292 and pick up some newly designed FreePint coasters. We even
have a competition to win an advertising account.
FreePint, like any company publishing on the Internet, must always be
aware of country-specific cultural references or jargon that may leave
international readers puzzled. In today's issue we look at the wider
issue of political and emotional culture shock between countries with
an interesting article on 'Reverse Culture Shock'. In essence, this is
the challenge of returning home after a period working abroad. It is
interesting reading for anyone who has worked abroad or is thinking of
doing so.
Any records managers out there who fancy working in the UK would be
most welcome, according to a recruitment consultant I was chatting to
at an information conference last week. Apparently, UK universities
only turn out about 60 qualified records managers a year. Companies
are suffering from an acute shortage of people trained in data
security techniques, records policies and procedures, document
management and workflow systems. They are especially concerned as they
gear up for the Freedom of Information Act in 2005. Freedom of
Information and its implications for public sector organisations is
the subject of an article by Martin White in the first issue of VIP.
FreePint Reports giving practical advice on legal topics always prove
popular, and this week we publish an article by Paul Pedley, entitled
'Data Protection for Websites and Intranets'. Paul gives accessible
tips and advice, as well as a useful taster to his full report, which
we also publish today. The detailed report is available to purchase
online at <http://www.freepint.com/shop/report/>.
That's all for today. It's great to be FreePint's new Editor and I
look forward to a rewarding and varied time ahead. Remember we always
want to know what you like or dislike about FreePint.
Annabel Colley
Editor, FreePint
<annabel.colley@freepint.com>
NB: Today's editorial is by Annabel Colley. William Hann continues as
Managing Editor. Annabel has joined FreePint from the BBC - read about
her previous career at <http://www.FreePintVIP.com/people.html>.
FreePint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2003
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"Data Protection for Websites and Intranets"
ISBN 1-904769-02-0
This report provides an introduction to data protection issues as they
relate to websites, intranets and the online world. It draws attention
to areas of particular concern to website & intranet managers such as:
the use of cookies; entries in online directories; monitoring
employees' email and internet access; use of email for direct marketing.
<http://www.freepint.com/shop/report/>
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MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Penny Leidtke
* <http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html> - Portals to the
World from the U.S. Library of Congress provides selected links to
worldwide electronic resources covering media, laws, government,
culture, business, associations, statistics, etc.
* <http://www.martindalecenter.com/Calculators.html> - Martindale's
Calculators On-Line Center consisting of over 17,000 calculators for
just about anything you might need at work, home, or play.
* <http://www.eurunion.org/index.htm> - The European Union in the U.S.
site includes an A to Z index of European Union websites plus basic
information on law, policy overviews, and member countries.
* <http://www.scirus.com> - A science-specific search engine from
Elsevier Science that searches web pages, journal sources, and
non-text files, eliminating the extraneous results you might
get from standard search engines.
* <http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.nsf> - Almost everyone has, at
one time or another, watched TV or a movie and wondered if the person
on the screen was still alive. This site answers that question and
provides links to other similar sites.
* <http://gardenwatchdog.com> - This site covers more than 3,000
gardening vendors selling everything gardening-related - from attire
to plants to tools. Consumer ratings are currently available for
over 1,300 of those listed so you can get an idea how reliable a
given company has been.
Penny Leidtke is the principal of On-Target Information Services, a
U.S.-based information research and retrieval firm that addresses the
information needs of the corporate, financial, and legal communities.
Submit your top five favourite Web sites. See the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.
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NEW WHITE PAPER FROM FACTIVA
Do you need to manage and organise large volumes of data? Are users
within your organization finding precisely the information they need?
Factiva's Taxonomy White Paper examines the value brought to our news
and business information service, to clients who license the taxonomy
as a fundamental component of their own Enterprise Information
Architecture. Download the White Paper at
<http://www.factiva.com/redirects/whitepaper/register/freepint>
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>>> Launching in December: VIP <<<
Looking at information products and information people.
<http://www.FreePintVIP.com>
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FREEPINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
There seems to have been a predominance of two types of people at the
Bar in the last couple of weeks: information professionals and
webmasters.
There's been a great thread about organisations supporting independent
information professionals: the good and the not so good. Well worth a
read at <http://www.freepint.com/go/b26523>.
Can you help with details of the major journal management databases
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b26516>? How about somewhere to publish a
companies market research online to generate sales
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b26531>?
Over to webmasters and it's great to welcome so many new readers from
the excellent SearchDay <http://www.freepint.com/go/b26598>.
Webmasters are often concerned with search engine promotion. Do you
know if roll-over links hinder spidering
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b26642>? Any news on what's happening with
Google's new index <http://www.freepint.com/go/b26641>? What about
country-specific Google sites? Are there any demographics of usage?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b26637>. Can you help people trying to use
their computers to create documents in Cyrillic
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b26398> and Ancient Greek
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b26645>.
Finally, a couple of Bar admin notes of interest:
Although press releases aren't allowed at the Bar, we do encourage
information-related organisations to post them at the VIP Wire
<http://www.FreePintVIP.com>. You can receive the Bar Digest in HTML
format by changing your subscription at <http://web.freepint.com>. And
of course, don't forget to help out at the Student Bar -- one
FreePinter has quite rightly been encouraging us all to do so
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b26525>.
Thanks to everyone for making the Bar such an interesting and
valuable resource.
William Hann <william.hann@freepint.com>
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The FreePint Bar is where you can get help with your tricky research
questions, for free! <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
Help with study for information-related courses is available at the
FreePint Student Bar <http://www.freepint.com/student>.
Twice-weekly email digests of the latest postings can be requested
at <http://www.freepint.com/member>.
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>>Online Information Exhibition FREE pre-registration ends 28 Nov<<
<http://www.online-information.co.uk/ol03/tickets.html?em-2011-1>
>>Incorporates NEW co-located event - Content Management Europe<<
Meet over 250 suppliers of content resources, information management &
content management solutions Attend comprehensive FREE programme of
seminars & masterclasses 2-4 December 2003,
Olympia Grand Hall, London, UK
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FREEPINT JOBS
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
FreePint Jobs -- the best place for information vacancies.
* VACANCY SEARCHING -- Free search and sign up to the Job Update.
* VACANCY RECRUITING -- Complete the form and advertise a vacancy
for just GBP195 <http://www.freepint.com/jobs/submit/overview.php3>.
50% discount for registered charities. 10% discount for agencies.
This week's selected listings are below. All new jobs are posted to
the Bar and Bar Digest (circulation 12,000+) and sent to the 1000+
subscribers to the Job Update.
Here are some of the latest featured jobs:
Information service team member
An enthusiastic and energetic person with lots of initiative to be
part of a friendly team of five from January 2004.
Recruiter: Law Firm
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j2782>
Head of Information & Research (Start-Up)
Start-Up information manager required for investment bank to set up,
develop and recruit for new Information Service. V. high neg. salary.
Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j2785>
Source Co-ordinator - Information and Knowledge Systems
Responsibility for developing, promoting and monitoring electronic
information services.
Recruiter: Healthlink Worldwide
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j2803>
Records Management Specialist
Could you enhance the management of scientific information?
Recruiter: Syngenta
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j2805>
Junior Information Officer
1yr Junior Info Officer role at top law firm, chance to do both
research and know-how work, good pay.
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j2808>
[The above jobs are paid listings]
Find out more today at <http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
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TIPS ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/201103.htm#tips>
"Re-Entry Shock or Reverse Culture Shock"
By Vivienne Sales
Most people are familiar with the term 'culture shock' when they go
to a foreign country for an extended period of time (over three
months) to work or study. While there are plenty of print and online
resources for dealing with culture shock, there are not that many
resources for dealing with 're-entry shock' (also known as
reverse culture shock).
Unless the employer has a well-established and effective orientation
program for their repatriated employees, adjusting to life in the home
country is a 'do-it-yourself' job. After your friends' and family's
euphoria of your return has faded, they will expect you to go back to
your old domestic self. While some 'repatriates' are able to do that
in a very short time, others may find adjusting to life back in their
home country can be just as daunting than the culture shock they
experienced in the host country. Some repatriates may be so
overwhelmed that they become depressed and require counseling in the
home country. A few repatriates hop on the next flight back to their
host country. To avoid the most negative aspects of re-entry shock,
one should review the following websites before taking a long-term
overseas assignment.
General Repatriation Resources
------------------------------
Unless you have a close friend or family member who has experienced
and survived re-entry shock, the friends and family who stayed in the
home country will express little sympathy when you go through re-entry
shock. Expat Expert is a great website to explain re-entry shock to
you and your skeptics. Also, it offers suggestions and list resources
to help repatriates get through their re-entry shock with the minimum
amount of headaches and heartaches.
At The Daily Telegraph's website, the link to The Expat Telegraph is
targeted to British expatriates, but it does have resources for
repatriates, regardless of nationality. If you want to read any of
these articles online, you have to register. Fortunately, registration
is free at <http://digbig.com/3fht>. After you have finished
registering and have received an e-mail from The Daily Telegraph,
confirming your login name and password, go to the search bar at
Expat Telegraph, enter the term "repatriation" and press enter.
Expat Expert: <http://www.expatexpert.com/index.html> Canadian
journalist Robin Pascoe is expert in all aspects of being an
expatriate and a repatriate due to her husband's career in the
Canadian Foreign Office. She has written numerous articles in
English-language newspapers and four best selling books about having
your career, family and marriage survive going overseas, living
overseas and returning to one's home country.
Repatriation can be a grieving process <http://digbig.com/3fhw>.
Can returning to your home country be like losing a loved one?
According to some counselors, re-entry shock is grieving the loss of
your elite social status, your residence in a foreign, but culturally
and intellectually stimulating environment, and (when applicable)
financial security.
Study Abroad Alumni
Some participants of study abroad programs at many universities learn
the hard way on how re-entry shock can affect them. Besides using the
resources at the study abroad offices in their home countries and host
institutions, some students have created web pages to document how
they have coped with the challenges of returning home.
Beat the Re-Entry Blues <http://digbig.com/3fhx>
Written by Cultural Experiences Abroad (CEA), they take a more
positive look at re-entry shock (" ... The experts call 're-entry
shock' completely common and totally normal') without minimizing its
severe side (" ... It can even leave you depressed."). This website
offers thought-provoking questions repatriated alumni can ask
themselves and offer coping strategies that can lessen the more severe
effects of re-entry shock.
Safety Abroad Handbook: Re-Entry Culture Shock <http://digbig.com/3fhy>
This is part of the University of Southern California Center for
Global Studies' online Safety Abroad Handbook: How to Get There ... and
Back. This website discusses the four stages of re-entry shock and how
students can make their study abroad experience benefit their current
studies and future careers. Unfortunately, this site does not offer
any strategies for coping with mild to moderate re-entry shock.
English Instructors
For English instructors returning home after doing a teaching
assignment overseas, adjusting to life in the home country is a
'do-it-yourself' job. Some repatriated English instructions keep in
touch and share coping strategy with their former co-workers via
postal mail, e-mail or the phone. Other repatriated English
instructors may need a more established network. Although the
following websites are targeted to former participants of the Japan
Exchange and Teaching (JET), most of the advice on these websites
quite applicable to other repatriated English instructors who have
taught in other countries.
Japan Exchange and Teaching Alumni (JET) Association International
<http://www.jet.org/>
This is the official web site for current JET Assistant Language
Teachers (ALT) and Coordinators of International Exchange (CIRs). Has
a lot of links to JET Alumni Associations worldwide and post-TESL
career and education links.
JET Career - Articles <http://cheno.com/job/career/>
This web page has a collection of articles about 'life after JET'.
Most articles focus on re-adjusting to your home country's job market
and post-tertiary level training. The rest of the articles concentrate
on post-JET careers in Japan. With a few exceptions, former assistant
language instructors wrote most of the articles.
After JET: Career Options Back Home <http://cheno.com/job/career/options.html>
Although Rochelle Kopp was not a JET alumna, she was an international
public relations specialist at a major bank in Japan. When she
returned to the US, she earned her MBA and started her own
cross-cultural firm, Japan Intercultural Consulting, in Chicago. Her
article goes over every imaginable career path and would appeal to
'retiring' ESL instructors who are either returning to their home
country or for those who want to stay in Japan, but would like
to enter other fields.
Going Home <http://kansaiconnect.com/altonline/goinghome.html>
This website is for current and former ALTs and CIRs who are or have
been participating in the Japan Education Teaching (JET) program. The
links on this website discuss preparing for life after JET. While it
is not the official website of the JET program, it does provide
valuable information on minimizing the negative effects of re-entry
shock whether you are a JET alumus/a or are not.
Missionaries
While missionaries have different reasons to go overseas, they face
the same cultural and personal issues that affect other repatriates
when they return to their home countries. They may not return home
with a financial nest egg waiting for them, but may have issues
regarding how their home churches support the overseas missions.
Bouncing Back <http://64.176.115.194/pages/tools/bouncingback.html>
Sanders and Peters focus on specific repatriation issues that affect
returning 'short-termers' (people who go on overseas mission projects
for two years.)
Resources for HR Managers and Intercultural Trainers Who Deal With
Expatriates and Repatriates
Often, repatriates who were sent on a long-term overseas assignment,
personnel (or human resource) managers who deal with returning
expatriates have to take the complaints of the former when they have
trouble reintegrating into their company's home culture.
Reintegration <http://www.larissa-becker.de/reverse_culture_shock.html>
This English language web page can be found on Ms. Becler's German and
English language's websites. In outline format, she gives tips for the
repatriate about handling the highs and lows of re-entry shock. There
is a section for family and friends about how to support their
returning expatriate during his or her transition back to the home
country. More importantly these friends and family should realize they
have changed while their loved one was away, they should acknowledge
that this repatriate has changed while they stayed in the home
country. Finally, there is a set of downloadable cases of various
kinds of re-entry shock.
Reentry shock: preventing expats from leaving the organization
<http://www.intercultural.nl/html/articles/reentryshock.htm>
When repatriated employees feel that the return home is more like a
cold exile than a warm homecoming, they usually leave the organization
shortly after their return. For the employers, they lose the skills
and expertise those employees gained during their overseas
assignments. Elenore Breukel of Intercultural Communications advises
that preparations for returning to the home country should start three
to five months before the end of the overseas assignment.
hr-esource.com Sample Chapter of Managing a Global Workforce: A
Cross-Cultural Guide by Dr. Marian Stoike-Loike and
Amelia Lundh-Dantzer <http://digbig.com/3fja>
This web page focuses on the responsibilities the repatriate and
the HR office in easing the return from an overseas assignment back to
the home office. It is also the HTML version of the chapter from the
Dr. Stoike-Loike's and Ms. Lundh-Dantzer's book. For readers who find
this website quite informative, they will probably want to purchase
the book.
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Vivienne Sales is a reference librarian at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University in Prescott, Arizona. She is a three-time survivor of
re-entry shock. Her last bout was in 1998 when she returned to the US
after spending three years in South Korea teaching English. It wasn't
until 2001 before she could honestly say, "I'm glad to be back in the
States."
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Related FreePint links:
* 'Employment/Recruitment/HR' articles in the FreePint Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p43>
* Post a message to the author, Vivienne Sales, or suggest further
resources at the FreePint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/201103.htm#feature>
* Access the entire archive of FreePint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
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KeepingLegal
Weblog covering issues such as privacy and data sharing, the Legal
Deposit Libraries Act, copyright and visually impaired persons, the
consultation on public sector information, and other legal issues
affecting information professionals.
<http://www.keepinglegal.com>
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>>> Jobs Profiles become Jobs Update <<<
Sign-up for the new twice-monthly Jobs Update. All the latest
vacancies from FreePint Jobs sent by email.
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
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FREEPINT BOOKSHELF
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
"Information and IT Literacy: Enabling Learning in the 21st Century"
Edited by Allan Martin and Hannelore Rader
Reviewed by Jonathan Smart
To my mind, a more detailed exploration of the potential value of
strategic alliances and synergies for putting information literacy on
the map would have been useful in this book. That said, I found the
structure well conceived, the main issues largely explored, and the
contents eminently readable overall.
Divided into four main parts, we see scene-setting introductory
contributions from the editors, an examination of the SCONUL Seven
Pillars model, challenges to implementation (perhaps no coincidence
that this is the longest section), and research perspectives. Most of
the contributions started life as presentations at the IT and ILit
Glasgow conference in 2002, a title which was to become the eLit
conference in 2003.
Defining what we really mean by information literacy is of no small
significance, and though attempts are made at various stages in the
book, one still emerges feeling not altogether clear about it. Are
these essentially educational skills with a practical application or
practical skills in search of a pedagogical home? The drivers for why
everyone should be information-literate, repeated throughout, become
an almost desperate mantra, leaving one wondering if we're in danger
of horribly overcomplicating things. After all, Silver Surfers acquire
their new-found skills in order to be able to e-mail their
grandchildren rather than to become valuable information-literate
members of society.
The common thread runs in favour of embedding information literacy in
the curriculum rather than including it as a bolt-on option: without
context, it is perceived that students are less likely to be able to
apply the concepts. It is good to see the arguments regarding embedded
versus standalone teaching of information literacy examined, and leads
one to the conclusion that a mixed 'economy' is no bad thing.
Also interesting is the acknowledgement that search engines tend to be
used increasingly as a first port of call before paid subscription
services - is it better to accept this and respond by investing
greater emphasis than we do towards students acquiring excellent Web
searching and critical evaluation skills?
The issue of assessment in this book still leaves me wondering how we
assess our students' information literacy effectively - a question to
which, as far as I'm aware, we have few answers. There is useful
engagement in the book with getting information literacy on the agenda
and how librarians change their image from that of service providers
to educators. And therein lies part of the problem. Librarians still
have an identity crisis which means we are still not wholly sure to
which mast we should be nailing our colours - meanwhile the world
moves relentlessly on. As someone at the 2003 Glasgow conference
asked, where were the academics (the very people we need to convince)
among the delegates, and are we in danger of ending up talking in a
room among ourselves rather than to the people we need to convince
about information literacy? At the very least, let's shore up those
strategic alliances...
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Jonathan Smart (BA (Hons), ALA, Dip Ed) has a background in various
areas, including FE and HE libraries - currently at the University of
Plymouth, about to move into the reorganised role of Academic Support
Co-ordinator, Skills, where information literacy will be a core
responsibility. He has for some time developed the delivery, support
and assessment of IL within business modules, and is interested in
pedagogic aspects including developing computer-based assessment,
diagnostic testing, working with learning styles and open/distance
learning.
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FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/201103.htm#feature>
"Data Protection for Websites and Intranets"
By Paul Pedley
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This article is a summary of the full details in the report
"Data Protection for Websites and Intranets" ISBN 1-904769-02-0
<http://www.freepint.com/shop/report/>
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The Data Protection Act 1998 came into force in March 2000, and it
sets out to ensure that where personal information is processed, that
this is done safely and securely. The Act defines "processing" broadly
so that it covers everything that can be done with personal
information including the obtaining, recording, holding, disclosing,
and destruction of personal data. It sets out limits on what personal
data can be held; the purposes for which that data can be used; and
the length of time that the data is held.
This article aims to address how data protection relates specifically
to intranets, websites and online services. It is clear that websites
and intranets are often used to process personal data, and that this
is done in many different ways. They might, for example, include a
staff directory, with biographical information pages, photographs and
contact details. Or they could host directories of clients or
students; whether these are accessible internally, externally, or
both.
Websites and intranets might be used as a front end to management
databases. They often make use of online data collection forms; and
this includes online registration forms, or requests for information.
Some sites have facilities to "contact us" or "recommend a friend".
Sites on the web often use online research surveys. Another
example of how websites process personal data include the use of
cookies, web bugs, and other invisible tracking devices.
It is extremely timely to be thinking about the impact of data
protection on websites and intranets, because the European Union
required all member states to comply with directive 2002/58/EC
concerning the processing of personal data and the protection of
privacy in the electronic communications sector by 31st October 2003.
In fact, the UK is implementing the directive through the Privacy and
Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations SI 2003/2426
which will come into force on 11th December 2003.
The Regulations contain new rules applying to activities such as:
* the use of invisible tracking devices such as cookies or web bugs
* the security of public electronic communications services
* public directories containing phone numbers for mobile or fixed
lines, email addresses and physical addresses
* the use of electronic communications for marketing purposes
* the use of location based data for marketing purposes
Privacy policy statement or notice
----------------------------------
Websites and intranets which are used to collect, store, or 'process'
personal data in other ways should have a privacy statement. It is
well worth spending time on carefully drafting this statement, because
it will govern precisely what you are entitled to do with the data
that you process. The privacy statement should be clear and succinct.
It really needs to be written in plain language. The placing of the
privacy notice on the website is also very important. It should be
displayed in a prominent position on the site; and the policy
statement should be accessible to people at any point where data is
collected. If you use invisible tracking devices such as cookies, then
the statement must include a section on cookies in which you explain:
what a cookie is; why your site uses cookies; what information about
the user is stored by, and accessible from, the cookie; who will have
access to that information; what the user should do if they want to
reject or disable the cookie; and how their use of the web site will
be affected if they opt to refuse or disable the cookie.
Data Security Regulation 5 of The Privacy and Electronic
Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003: SI 2003/2426 says that
"Providers of public electronic communications services shall take
appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard the
security of that service". This is in line with the seventh data
protection principle which requires data processors to have measures
in place to protect data subjects against any unauthorised or unlawful
processing of their personal data and against accidental loss or
destruction of, or damage to, that personal data.
Regulation 5 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations
goes further than previous legislation, and states that:
"Where there remains a significant risk to the security of the public
electronic communications service, the service provider shall inform
the subscribers concerned of- (a) the nature of that risk; (b) any
appropriate measures that the subscriber may take to safeguard against
that risk; and (c) the likely costs to the subscriber involved in the
taking of such measures". [The Privacy and Electronic Communications
(EC Directive) Regulations 2003: SI 2003/2426 is reproduced under the
terms of Crown Copyright Policy Guidance issued by HMSO]
Websites aimed at children
--------------------------
Is your website aimed at or regularly used by children? Have you taken
account of their needs? For example, some sites make a point of
encouraging children under 18 years of age to seek parental approval.
Another point to consider relates to the privacy statement - is the
privacy policy written in a way which has been made understandable for
children?
Data transfers
--------------
The eighth data protection principle states that "personal data shall
not be transferred to a country or territory outside the European
Economic Area unless that country or territory ensures an adequate
level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in
relation to the processing of personal data".
The eighth data protection principle causes real practical
difficulties for those who manage websites, because "transfer" in this
context is not just the deliberate export of data. It includes having
data available on a web site that someone else can access and
download, because placing personal data on the web clearly makes that
information available to potentially anyone around the world who has
access to the internet.
There are a number of solutions to the problem:
1. Under directive 95/46/EC , which was implemented in the UK through
the Data Protection Act 1998, trans border data flows are permitted
within the European Economic Area (EEA) which consists of the member
states of the European Union, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
2. In addition, the European Commission has recognized the adequacy of
the protection of personal data for the following countries:
Switzerland, Hungary, Canada and Argentina. In order to ensure that
you are using the most up to date list of approved countries, check
the Europa website:
<http://europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/privacy/adequacy_en.htm>
3. The European Commission has adopted a decision setting out
standard contractual clauses which - if they are incorporated into
contracts - are deemed to ensure adequate safeguards for personal data
where this is transferred from the EU to countries outside the
European Union. The decision obliges member states to recognise that
companies or organisations using such standard clauses in contracts
concerning personal data transfers to countries outside the EU are
offering "adequate protection" to the data
4. In July 2000 the EU reached a "safe harbor" agreement
<http://www.export.gov/safeharbor> with the US Department of Commerce
which permits the flow of personal data between the EU and the US so
long as the American companies involved have undertaken to follow a
set of data protection guidelines as set out in the safe harbor
agreement.
Another important point to bear in mind is that it makes no difference
if the transfer of data is to others within your own organisation or
to third parties. So, for example, a member of staff in the Human
Resources Department working in the London office of a company cannot
email personal data to a colleague in the HR department in New York of
the same company unless they have first informed the data subjects
that they are going to do this.
Entries in directories
----------------------
Citizens have the right to determine whether their phone numbers for
mobile or fixed lines, their email addresses and physical addresses
figure in public directories.
Regulation 18 (of SI 2003/2426) applies to directories of subscribers,
and sets out requirements that must be satisfied where data relating
to subscribers is included in such directories. It also gives
subscribers the right to verify, correct or withdraw their data in
directories.
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These areas are explored in more detail in the report "Data Protection
for Websites and Intranets" ISBN 1-904769-02-0 which is available from
FreePint <http://www.freepint.com/shop/report>. The report also covers
areas such as the monitoring of employees' use of email and the
internet; communications data; and the use of email for direct
marketing. It also takes account of other legislation such as the
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act and the Electronic Commerce
(EC Directive) Regulations.
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Paul Pedley is Head of Research at the Economist Intelligence Unit,
and has previously worked in the information departments of a law
firm, property developer, and in a number of government departments.
Paul is a Fellow of CILIP; represents Aslib on the Libraries and
Archives Copyright Alliance; and is also on the steering group of the
JISC Legal Information service. Paul is also Editor of
<http://www.KeepingLegal.com>. The service covers legal issues
affecting the information profession such as data protection,
copyright and freedom of information. There is a regular newsletter
which can be requested via the site. He regularly runs training
courses on copyright, data protection and freedom of information; as
well as on Internet topics such as the invisible Web, and business
information on the Internet.
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