Data protection glossary (part 3)

This is the last post of a series brought you by E-Crime Expert, that aims to make the readers and data subject familiar to the most common terminology in order to better understand and protect their personal data and privacy.

You could read the first post here and the second post here.

(R) Reliability (Information Security)

Reliability is the property of consistent intended behavior and results.

Residual Risk (Information Security)

Residual risks are the risks that remain after risk treatment or, in other words, after protective measures were introduced.

Right of rectification

Anyone can have incorrect data relating to him rectified free of charge, and have other data erased if they are irrelevant, incomplete or prohibited, or have the use of those data prohibited. If the controller does not react, the data subject may address the Commission, which will attempt to mediate. The data subject may also submit a complaint to the judicial police.

Right to object

You may always object to the use of your data, provided that you have serious reasons for this. You cannot object to a data processing operation that is required by a law or a regulatory provision, or that is necessary to perform a contract you have entered into. However, you always have the right to object to the illegitimate use of your data and can always object free of charge and without justification if your data are processed for direct marketing purposes.

To object you have to send a dated and signed request, including a document proving your identity (for example a copy of your identity card) to the controller by letter or by fax (a request by e-mail is only accepted with an electronic signature). The request can also be submitted on the spot. The controller then has one month to reply. If he fails to do so or if his reply is not convincing, you can address the Commission, which will try to mediate. You can also take your case to court.

Risk (Information Security)

A risk is the potential that a given threat will exploit vulnerabilities of an asset or group of assets and thereby cause harm to the organization (for example a virus deleting a file). It is measured in terms of a combination of the probability of an event and its consequence.

A risk is characterized by two factors: the probability that an incident will occur and the gravity of the potential direct consequences and the indirect impact.

The risk can also depend on time: the situation can become worse after an incident if adjusting measures are not taken in time (for instance a software glitch infecting a database, spyware retrieving passwords, encrypted codes or pin numbers). That way, an innocent incident can have disastrous consequences.

Risk Management (Information Security)

Risk management identifies the most important risks and distinguishes between the risks that have to be taken care of and acceptable risks. It uses security resources that deal with the dangers for personal data according to a scale of priorities. The risk management process constitutes a cycle that is repeated depending on the particular characteristics of the systems and the identified risks. Risk management results in final processes and an updated security policy, and often also in adaptations to the organization and its procedures in order to better take into account possible new risks, as well as the measures that have been taken.

(S) Safe Harbor Principles

In consultation with the European Commission, the American Department of Commerce elaborated the Safe Harbor Principles, intended to facilitate the transfer of personal data from the European Union to theUnited States. If companies make a statement to the American Department of Commerce agreeing with these principles and declaring they are prepared to respect them (meaning, among other things, that the American Federal Trade Commission can check whether theyr respect these principles), they are considered as companies ensuring adequate safeguards for data protection.

Security measures (Information Security)

Security measures, also called “protective measures” or “security controls”, are procedures or decisions that limit risks. Security measures can be effective in several ways: by lessening possible dangers, correcting vulnerabilities or limiting the possible direct consequences or indirect impact. It is also possible to work with time: if incidents are traced better and sooner, action can be taken before the situation gets any worse.

Sensitive data

Certain personal data are more sensitive than others. An individual’s name and address are rather innocent data, but this does not hold true for his political opinions, sexual preferences or judicial past. The Privacy Law regulates registration and use of those sensitive data more strictly in comparison with other personal data.

Sensitive data relate to race, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, sex life, suspicions, persecutions and criminal or administrative convictions. In principle, processing such data is prohibited.

Standard Contractual Clauses

For persons wishing to transfer data outside the European Community, the European Commission has elaborated standard contractual clauses, which allow for a data transfer meeting the European legal conditions for data protection (article 25 ff of Directive 95/46/EC). In other words, the parties signing these contracts are considered as parties ensuring adequate safeguards for the protection of privacy.

(T) Threat (Information Security)

A threat is any unexpected event that can damage one of the enterprise’s assets and therefore prejudice personal data protection.

There are environmental threats (fire), technical threats (system failures) or human threats.
Human threats can be accidental (mistakes, forgetfulness, unadapted procedures) or intentional (harmful intent, intrusion, theft), internal (dissemination of information) or external (espionage).

(U) Unambiguous, free and informed consent

Consent is understood:

• to have been freely given. In other words, the data subject was not pressurised to say “yes”;
• to be specific, meaning that the consent relates to a well-defined processing operation;
• to be informed. The data subject has received all useful information about the planned processing.

It is not necessary for the consent to be given in writing, but oral consent does create problems with the burden of proof in case of difficulties.

(V) Vulnerability (Information Security)

Vulnerability is the weakest link of an asset or a group of assets that can be exploited by one or more imminent dangers (developer’s mistake, wrong installation). In most cases vulnerability is due to the fact that an asset is not sufficiently protected, rather than to the asset itself.

Vulnerability in itself is not harmful to the organization. Only when an imminent danger can accidentally use the vulnerability and possible special circumstances, a damaging incident can occur.

Any questions can be submitted to: dan@e-crimeexpert.com

Additional information can be found at: www.e-crimeexppert.com

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Data protection glossary (part 2)

After over a month when E-Crime Expert presented the most important Case Law and Rulings on the applicability of both Directive 95/46 (private sector) and Regulation 45/2001 (public sector) to the processing of personal data, today’s post will bring more useful information: A Glossary of the most common terms from the Directive 95/46.

The information will be delivered during three blog posts and  aims to make the readers and data subject aware of the most common terminology in order to better understand and protect their personal data and privacy.

You could read the first post here.

(F) Further processing

A further processing operation, as defined in the implementing decree of 13 February 2001, involves personal data initially collected for an explicit purpose and re-used at a later time for historical, statistical or scientific purposes that are incompatible with the initial purpose. In other words, these processing operations constitute a specific form of secondary data collection.

(I) Impact (Information Security)

The consequences of an incident on one or more assets constitute the impact (for instance personal data who are no longer accurate).

In information security usually a difference is made between direct consequences (damage to the information system, such as file modifications, changes in the accessibility of confidential data or an inappropriate system shutdown) and the indirect impact (the damage the organization or third parties have incurred, such as abuse of confidential information, wrong decisions as a result of incorrect data).

There is not always an immediate relation between an incident’s direct consequences and its indirect impact on an organization or on third parties: the loss of fundamental data can have enormous consequences for the person involved whereas a system that was erased completely can already be restored with a good back-up.

Incident (Information Security)

An incident is an unexpected or unwanted event that can have serious consequences.
An information security incident is any unexpected event that might cause a compromise of an organization’s activities or information security (system malfunction or overload, human error, software or hardware malfunction). An incident in itself is not good nor bad.

Integrity (Information Security)

Integrity covers two different aspects: information integrity, and system and process integrity.
Information integrity means that information cannot be changed or destroyed intentionally or unintentionally.
System or process integrity means that the desired function is fully achieved according to expectations. Without an authorized intervention it is not possible to make intentional or unintentional changes.

Intermediary organization

An intermediary organization is defined as any natural person, legal person, un-associated organization or public authority encoding personal data, other than the controller of the processing of non-encoded data.

(L) Legitimate interest

An interest is called legitimate when the controller’s interest in processing the data overrides the registered person’s interest in not processing the data. In case of doubt, the Commission or a judge will decide whose interest has the highest priority.

(M) Management System (Information Security)

There are several models for management systems regarding information security (ISMS – Information Security Management System). The best-known system is based on a PDCA structure (Plan-Do-Check-Act) and permanently improves security. This permanent improvement is linked to changing factors, for example modifications in the organization and related risks, changes in the information system, technological novelties, both for operational systems and security rules.

Manual filing system

A manual filing system is a structured set of personal data that are accessible according to certain criteria, the yellow pages on paper for example.

(N) Non-repudiation (Information Security)

Non-repudiation is the ability to prove that an operation or event has taken place, so that it cannot be repudiated later. For e-mails, for example, non-repudiation is used to guarantee that the recipient cannot deny that he received the message, and that the sender cannot deny that he sent is.

Notification

A notification is an action carried out by the controller to inform the Commission that he will be processing data. A notification is not intended to request permission or authorization, but only to notify a processing operation. The notification mainly consists of a description of the data processing operation.

(O) Opt in

In this system, you give somebody your prior consent to send you commercial messages. The opt-in system is valid for all forms of communication and allows you to give your free, specific and informed consent, as required by the Privacy Law.
The opt-in system is mainly used when somebody regularly wants to send a massive number of e-mails, for example a newsletter, electronic magazines, promotional offers. You can register by filling in your e-mail address on a specific online form. The idea behind the opt in is to know in advance exactly what you are registering for, so that there are no unpleasant surprises afterwards.

Opt out

As opposed to opt in, the opt-out system allows you to object to any data processing operation with a view to direct marketing, as required by the Privacy Law.
This involves receiving an unwanted message containing the possibility to unsubscribe in order to stop receiving messages. This system is only authorised provided that the sender obtained your (e-mail) address directly from you while purchasing a product or service from him, that this (e-mail) address is only used to offer similar products or services the sender delivers himself, and that you are given the possibility to object easily and free of charge when you give the sender your e-mail address. In addition to this system, the direct marketing sector has organized the Robinson lists.

(P) Personal data

Personal data reveal information about an identified or identifiable natural person (called the “data subject” in the Privacy Law). In other words, personal data are all data allowing for the identification of an individual.

Personal data include an individual’s name, a picture, a phone number, even a professional phone number, a code, a bank account number, an e-mail address, a fingerprint, …

They do not only include data having to do with individuals’ privacy, but also data having to do with an individual’s professional or public life.

Only data about a natural (physical) person are taken into account, excluding data about a legal person or an association (civil or commercial corporations or non-profit organizations).

Processing personal data

Processing personal data is defined as any operation or set of operations performed on personal data. These operations are extremely varied and relate, among others, to the collection, storage, use, modification, disclosure of the data.

A few examples:

• a hotel offering the possibility of online bookings processes data when registering the customer’s name, the dates of his stay and his credit card number.
• a municipality transmitting the names of persons requesting a building permit to a contractor who wants to send them publicity, also processes data.

The law applies as soon as the data are processed, even partially, using automatic means. Automatic means include all information technologies, computer technology, telematics, telecommunication networks (the Internet).

For example, the Privacy Law is applied to:

• a company’s computerized database containing customer or supplier data;
• the electronic list of transactions on a bank account;
• the computerized file of a company’s members of staff or of the children enrolled in a school;
• etc.

The Privacy Law also applies, however, as soon as one processing operation is carried out using automatic means. For example:

• a temporary employment agency keeping applicants’ hand-written curricula vitae but sending them to employers by fax, has to observe the rules in the Privacy Law for all operations it performs on the curricula vitae (such as storing, filing or sending them).

If data are not processed using automatic means (for example on paper or on microfiche) the Law still has to be observed if the data are included or will be included in a manual filing system that can be accessed according to specific criteria (for example people’s names in alphabetical order).

Processor

This is any natural person, legal person, un-associated organization or public authority processing data on behalf of the controller, not including individuals who are under the direct authority of the controller and who have been authorized to process the data).

Public register

The public register is a list of notifications of personal data processing operations notified to the Commission. Anyone can consult this list, for example via the Internet.

Purposes: historical, statistical or scientific

• historical research involves the processing of personal data with a view to the analysis of an earlier event or in order to make that analysis possible. This is possibly but not necessarily also a processing operation with a scientific purpose (in other words, a genealogist can appeal to this provision);
• statistical purposes are achieved through any action with a view to collecting and processing personal data when this is necessary for statistical surveys or to produce a statistical result;
• scientific research involves establishing patterns, rules of conduct and causal relations exceeding all individuals they relate to.

Any questions can be submitted to: dan@e-crimeexpert.com

Additional information can be found at: www.e-crimeexppert.com

Are you used to this terminology? Do you find it useful?

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