Targeted monitoring 

Privacy aspects of client monitoring systems and other forms of data exchange

In bygone days it was quite normal for the friendly neighbourhood policeman to go down to the Voogdijraad, the forerunner organization to the Dutch Child Protection Council, or Pro Juventute, an organization where parents could request supervision of their wayward children, and have a little chat with the ladies who worked there and were regular guests at the houses of the young clients' parents. The organizations for which these ladies worked have since been completely transformed and the social context of their work cannot be compared to the structures which exist today.

What remains unchanged, however, is the need to coordinate activities and to be informed about what each party is doing with regard to a client. To what extent is this need impeded by the protection of the client's personal privacy? Answering this question requires careful consideration of various needs and interests, of which the protection of the individual's personal privacy is just one. In the Dutch Data Protection Act (Wet persoonsregistraties - WPR, the predecessor of the Wbp), the Data Protection (Police Files) Act (Wet Politieregisters - WPolR) and the decrees based on these laws, rules are laid down for the assessment of these needs and interests. These are general rules which in practice have to be specified more precisely. In some cases, certain legislation may apply directly or have to be adapted on the basis of the WPR and WPolR. It is of primary importance to keep in mind at all times the fundamental principles on which the regulations are based.

The various points of interest as regards these issues have been discussed in detail in the previous chapters and shall be summarized here, with references to the section of the report which dealt with the respective subject.

Citation
Zandee, mr. C.G., Doelbewust volgen. Privacy-apecten van cliëntvolgsystemen en andere vormen van gegevensuitwisseling [Targeted monitoring. Privacy aspects of client monitoring systems and other forms of data exchange] Dutch DPA, April 1998. Background studies & Investigations 9