First presented at Privacy Open Space conference, Oxford, June 2010. Extended version presented at IViR, University of Amsterdam, June 2011.

1. Privacy Politics in the UK “After a long decade of privacy devastation in the UK, there is a sense of cautious optimism here about the new coalition government.” –Privacy International

2. Visual surveillance

3. DP and ECHR standards Interference with private life must be based on detailed, clear, precise, foreseeable law (Copland v UK) Systems must limit access to data to those who have a proportionate requirement for access (I v Finland) Bleeding-edge states have a particular duty to consider impact of databases upon privacy (S & Marperv UK) Only 5 of 46 databases reviewed met standards (Database State, R. Anderson et al. 2008)

4. Reserving the rise of the surveillance state - Tories “Fewer mammoth databases, that are better run. Fewer personal details held by the state, stored accurately and on a need-to-know basis. Greater checks and personal control over the sharing of our data by government. And stronger duties on government to keep our private information safe. These are followed by a series of practical measures from scrapping ID cards and Contact Point to strengthening the role of the Information Commissioner.”

5. Liberal Democrats “From allowing children's fingerprints to be taken at school without their parents' consent; to making us a world leader in CCTV; to wasting vast sums of taxpayers' money on giant databases that hoard our personal details… The government's staggering record on losing private data – leaving it in pub car parks and on commuter trains – just makes matters worse.”

6. National DNA Database Source: The Guardian, 9 Apr 2010

7. Identity management Central National Identity Register of all those over 16 living in UK longer than 3 months with biometrics, biographical data and audit trail, ID number to link other databases ContactPoint database of all 11m children in England and Wales with biographical data and links to services used Cabinet Office 18/5/11: “Our intention is to create a market of accredited identity assurance services delivered by a range of private sector and mutualised suppliers. A key improvement will be that people will be able to use the service of their choice to prove identity when accessing any public service. Identity assurance services will focus on the key imperative to ensure privacy.”

8. National Programme for IT Central Summary Care Records with biographical data, allergies and prescriptions Regional Detailed Care Records Central Secondary Uses Service for administration and research Patients can opt out of central “Spine”, but made administratively awkward

9. Criminal justice National DNA Database with 5.1m profiles ONSET system attempts to identify potential young offenders National Fraud Initiative collects much sensitive information but absolved from liability for any confidentiality breaches National ANPR system keeps up to 18bn records pa for up to 5 years Communications database proposed

10. The blagger’s price list “What price privacy?”, Information Commissioner’s Office (2006)

11. Source: The Guardian, 16 January 2011