Privacy and security concerns and public policy in Malta

Abstract

Through computers and developments in surveillance technologies, we are seeing a change in the way we live. Technological developments have changed the way we shop, pay for goods and services, bank, work and conduct our day-to-day life. This leads to a concern about the effect this has on our society. Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is a very interesting area having an impact both positive and negative, on all areas of everyday life, and Public Policy is no exception. It is evident from the media, especially in the UK, that breaches of privacy, loss of data, and identity theft are leading to a revolution in today's society. It is therefore only natural for a student of Public Policy to ask: "How are surveillance technologies affecting our society?" This in turn leads to another question: "To what extent do surveillance technologies affect privacy and human rights in the digital age, and how, if at all, is public policy responding to these effects?" This study combines the disciplines of JCT and Public Policy, focusing its analysis on surveillance technologies and their effect on citizens' privacy. Limitations of scope and space have meant that this thesis had to be restricted to selected aspects of these issues, mainly human rights in the digital age, privacy and data protection law and the effect of surveillance technologies on privacy.