26 January 2012 | General, ISCH, ICT, TD European Privacy and
Data Protection Day The Council of Europe has chosen 28 January
as European Privacy and Data Protection Day. This day celebrates
privacy and the autonomy of the individual – and gives us the
opportunity to engage as citizens in timely debates of today's
societies and to reflect on the issue of data protection and
privacy. The day is aimed at giving European citizens the chance
to understand what their rights are in respect of the collection
and processing of their personal data; and also to increase
awareness of the risks associated with the illegal mishandling
and unfair processing of their personal data. Most European
citizens are generally uninformed about data protection issues
and their rights in this respect; how and where their personal
data may be captured (while shopping, dealing with public
authorities, using a car satellite navigation system,
travelling, using the Internet - including social networking
sites - or communicating via mobile