Writ of HabeasData

Video Documentary

A new remedy drafted by the Supreme Court. Its sole purpose is to protect individual privacy and integrity.

It is widely practiced in European states. Like the Germanic legislatures. It also has a long history in the Latin American countries.

With it comes the right to access, acquire, delete such data gathered from any automated process. It is basically a personal right. Which means that only the individual concerned may invoke its application. It has a mode of non-transferability.

It is as simple as. I want to know what kind of data is being accumulated about myself. To check its veracity and its use. BTW, does it include my access to porn sites?

ENTER FACEBOOK- Now, just recently an acquaintance in school invited me to register at the social networking site.

One thing that bothered me was its policy. According to the policy, "We may use information about you that we collect from other sources, including but not limited to newspapers and Internet sources such as blogs, instant messaging services and other users of Facebook, to supplement your profile."

It actually undertakes to 'datamine' all that information for transfer to their database. Some kinda "internet police structure". All done in the guise of making your "internet use safer". Crazy! It therefore takes upon itself that access rights of any user. Running counter with the provision on non-transferability nature of the habeas data writ. Through the use of technology it proposes to own all these information and worse of all claims any form of copyright related to its use.

That would be like an encroachment to another jurisdiction beyond one's domain. Unless if the domain accessed requires a prior registration with them, it appears to be highly objectionable.

What about my messenger logs? It becomes their property too? Ha haH!
The policy simply runs afoul with the writ. Meaning, it does not care about your privacy nor integrity. Which is the very evil that the writ wanted to correct.

Scary HUH?

Some Relevant Sites:
http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/infolaw/2007/11/08/facebook-social-ads/
http://community.ca.com/blogs/securityadvisor/archive/2007/11/29/facebook
http://www.ico.gov.uk/youngpeople