This document discusses transparency and personal data protection. It notes increasing demands for government transparency through open data initiatives and use of new technologies. However, it also notes growing pressures to protect personal data as more data is collected and shared through technologies like social media, mobile devices, and cloud computing. Proper data protection faces challenges of differing laws across jurisdictions and complex security breaches. The document calls for balancing transparency and control through increasing citizen awareness, supporting identity authentication that protects data, strengthening private sector data protection practices, and harmonizing international data protection standards.

1. Transparency & Personal data protection
Alfredo Méndez
Mexico City
July, 2011

2. Transparency
• Access to government information and accountability
• Open Government and Open Data initiatives around the world
• Increasing opportunities for companies to build apps using
governmental information
• Cloud computing offers opportunities to cost savings in recession
times for government agencies
• Increasing demand for public services on mobile personal devices
• Social media and new technologies used for government services
Private organizations transparency!

3. Data protection
o Pressures on personal data protection motivated by:
 Cases involving large service providers as Facebook's privacy policies,
and Google's purposeful and secretive collection of Wi-Fi data as part of
its "Street View“
 Values of medical, criminal, educational, financial records
 Concerns regarding cloud computing on security and data ownership
 Tracking of consumer’s habits
 GPS logging individuals data and other technologies and services
 Massive social networks users unaware of risk on personal data protection
 Uncontrolled (unknown) personal data collection and commerce
 Handling of video surveillance records

4. Facing law enforcement complexity
• Many different data protection laws across Mexico at local level,
plus one for federal government and other for private parties
– Additional need of international norms harmonization
• Large organizations involved in notorious security breaches as
Sony’s Play Station, Citigroup, German Police, RSA, etc.
• Organized crime and hacking individuals exploiting value of
personal data

5. Medical records
National ID Biometrics
Fiscal grants Government
Body of Knowedge
Laws harmonization
IFAI
Personal Industries
People awarness Citizens Data Chambers SMB’s awareness
Protection
Authority
Self-regulation
Mediation between parties ICT
Development of labor competences
Big international cases of Private
Entities
data security breaches
Human resources
Early cases attention

6. Challenges
Balance between control and individual protection = value for citizens
 Strong campaign to build people awareness on sharing personal
data, individuals & SMB
 Support government identity authentication without compromise data
protection principles
 Widen private parties perception of controlled environment through
development of a body of knowledge
 Support information security and privacy professionals networks in
order to give strong support for private organizations
 Strengthen international data protection authorities network to set
common norms, standards, and methodologies with similar coverage

7. Thank you!
Alfredo Méndez Calatayud
alfredo.mendez@ifai.mx
www.ifai.org.mx