Re: Data Privacy Laws

[3umoelle@informatik.uni-hamburg.de (Ulf M�ller)]

> >   According to the Registrar's office, anyone who is processing personal
> >   information, even as little as names and addresses received over the
> >   Internet, could find themselves facing an unlimited fine in the higher
> >   courts if they do not register with the Data Protection Registrar.

> This is well known to most of us. Still, we periodically get "privacy
> advocates" here on this list singing the praises of the various European
> "data privacy laws" and urging other nations to adopt the same sorts of
> laws.

It is worth noting that the "Data Privacy Commissioners" in Germany
(equivalent to the British Data Protection Registrar) are beginning to
advocate technologies such as anonymous e-cash, pre-paid chipcards,
pseudonyms, and of course encryption, rather than more laws.