Government needs better IT checks

Government sometimes acts as if it owns citizens' personal data

The government needs to subject itself to the same checks and balances it is imposing on private business if it is to ensure data is not abused and public trust is restored, according to the shadow security minister Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones.

Speaking at the RSA security conference in London, Neville-Jones stressed that greater oversight was needed in the face of government powers that often exceed their intended purpose.

Expressing concern over potential plans for a massive centralised database, she warned that such a massive system would be much harder and costlier to manage, more vulnerable to abuse and misuse, and open to greater levels of inaccuracy.

She said it was "time to address the lax security, as well as the lack of uniformity, standards and rigours that should be in place when dealing with this type of information".

"A clean-up job needs to be done," said Neville-Jones.

"For too long the government has been treating the information about us in its possession as its own, rather then remembering it still belongs to us."

She stressed that while it is important for the authorities to have access to the data they need to effectively do their job and protect society, it is equally important to make sure that the proper procedures are in place to avoid the abuse and loss of that data.

"In public office sometimes it can be easy to forget who is the servant," she said.

"The government must be subordinate to the rule of law, not above it."

During her keynote speech, Neville-Jones applauded the government's decision to hold an informed debate regarding the creation of large centralised databases, but added that it would only be effective if stakeholders took the time to make sure they understood the issues fully.

She concluded that ultimately it is a question of balance, but that if implemented correctly we could reach a system in which "privacy and liberty are compatible with security".