[Reader-list] EU-INDIA: The RISE Consortium hosts a High Level Meeting in New Delhi on Biometrics and Security Ethics-158

[Taha Mehmood]

Dear All,

This is a call to all those who are in the media and are based in Delhi.

As the wire below suggests- 'On the 24th and 25th of September 2009,
the EU funded initiative RISE will promote a meeting in New Delhi
organized by the Data Security Council of India (DSCI). The meeting
will focus on communalities and differences between the EU and India
regarding the vital policy issues of security, data protection and
privacy.'

The issues which will be discussed in this meeting are of critical
importance to all of us in India and in the EU and needs to be covered
however since they are not going to come under any tag which says-
sensational-, it is highly unlikely that this meeting would gain any
media attention. However needless to mention, that, I would be
grateful to anyone who could kindly cover this meeting and share with
the list members their experience of this encounter.

Regards

Taha

http://cordis.europa.eu/wire/index.cfm?fuseaction=article.Detail&rcn=19556

EU-INDIA: The RISE Consortium hosts a High Level Meeting in New Delhi
on Biometrics and Security Ethics

EU-INDIA: The RISE Consortium hosts a High Level Meeting in New Delhi
on Biometrics and Security Ethics
2009-07-23 	

Valeria Balestrieri
Centre for Science, Society and Citizenship
Piazza Capo di Ferro 23
00186 ROME
ITALY
valeria.balestrieri at cssc.eu
Tel: 0039 06 45551042
Fax: 0039 06 45551044

On the 24th and 25th of September 2009, the EU funded initiative RISE
will promote a meeting in New Delhi organized by the Data Security
Council of India (DSCI). The meeting will focus on communalities and
differences between the EU and India regarding the vital policy issues
of security, data protection and privacy. The overall goal of this
event is to promote and foster international conversation between
India and Europe on these topics.
They are both a union of states, they both represent an example of
ethnic, socio-cultural and religious diversity and they are among the
world’s largest democracies: they are India and Europe. India and
Europe are a unique example of shared values, intercultural dialogue
and strong strategic partnership. No wonder why India has become a
privileged partner for Europe. Not only the two countries share common
political objectives, such as countering terrorism, resolving regional
and international conflicts, cooperating in the face of natural
disasters, but they have also established a strong economic
relationship making the European Union India’s top foreign investor
and leading trading partner.
On the 24th and 25th of September 2009, the EU funded initiative RISE
will promote a meeting in New Delhi organized by the Data Security
Council of India (DSCI). The meeting will focus on communalities and
differences between the EU and India regarding the vital policy issues
of security, data protection and privacy. The overall goal of this
event is to promote and foster international conversation between
India and Europe on these topics.
India has been one of the best performers in the world economy in
recent years and Business Process Outsourcing has undoubtedly
contributed to this rapid development. BPO has seen a tremendous
growth in the past years with increasing revenues. In line with the
growth of this market, great concerns have been raised on the security
and data protection of the transnational flows to outsourcing
companies. Western users have put the Indian government under
increasing pressure to implement regulations according to European and
US data protection standards, for the safeguard of privacy and to
create appropriate confidence among foreign investors.
BPO outsourcing however is not the only field effected by data
protection issues in India. The recent news of the Indian government
initiating the plan to provide each citizen with a biometric-based
National Identification Card (UID project) has captured the world’s
attention. It is the biggest identification project ever put in place
that will eventually involve 1.2 billion citizens.
“We have the opportunity to give every Indian citizen, for the first
time, a unique identity. We can transform the country”, Nandan
Nilekani - cabinet minister and head of the project - said. The
biometric identity cards will provide an identity also to the millions
of people that do not possess any proof of existence and it is hoped
that it will help fighting terrorism and criminality. But the huge
online database that will retain citizens personal information may
represent a threat for privacy and data protection.

The meeting will take place at the TAJ PALACE HOTEL. Speakers will
include EU and Indian authorities, stakeholders from industries,
leading Universities and opinion leaders.

For information please contact:
Ms Silvia Venier silvia.venier at cssc.eu
RISE Secretariat
Centre for Science, Society and Citizenship

Mr Nikhil Chachra nikhil at dsci.in
Indian Meeting Organzier
Data Security Council of India – A Nasscom Initiative

About the RISE Project
RISE (Rising pan-European and International Awareness on Biometrics
and Security Ethics) is a 36 month EU funded project which aims at
setting up an international initiative to monitor ethical and policy
issues raised by biometrics and security technologies. RISE aims to
deepen, enlarge to Asian actors and ensure continuity to European and
international dialogue already instigated by the two linked projects
BITE (http://www.biteproject.org) and HIDE
(http://www.hideproject.eu), and by the two previous conferences on
ethics and biometrics organized by the EC DG Research and the US DHS
Privacy Office respectively in 2005 and 2006. The RISE project will
involve key European and international actors in an ongoing,
policy-related, non-official, dialogue on privacy and ethics of
biometrics and security technologies.
For further information, please visit the RISE website:
http://www.riseproject.eu