I keep on hearing about the fabled Italian privacy laws, so the other day I took a look at the actual wording of the laws.
I shall have another go, seeing as I got a little lost in all the cross referencing that went on and did not really come away feeling as though I had understood that much. Above all, I did not really manage to follow all the references to sub-clauses and other articles, although I had done something similar with property laws in the UK in another life, so I know it can be done if you have enough time. Making laws nice and convoluted is a great way of ensuring that only those who can engage lawyers can really benefit from them. It also keeps certain groups of politicians in power.
Just who is supposed to benefit from these laws is not all that clear and there appears to be some, how can I put this, rather loose interpretation, to the extent that journalists tend to get entangled and decide that the scoop they had uncovered may not be worth publishing because a large law suit may be the result. I’m all for privacy, but not when it is used as a cloak for covering up dubious actions and stifling the freedom of the press.
Be careful out there, merely taking a photo in a public place could get you arrested in theory, especially if you happen to inadvertently snap someone famous or powerful who said s/he was in Rome but was really in Venice meeting a ‘friend’….
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Alex,
The benefit is the individual’s privacy. To truly appreciate the value of Italian Privacy laws you have to live in the US where companies gather data, sell it to thieves, you get your identity stolen, spend $10,000 in fees, your credit is ruined and when you try to get compensation from the company that gathered the data the US Supreme Court rules, “You have no expectation of Privacy!”
You can now be arrested, if a policeman sees you on the street and asks you for documentation and you refuse.
Orwell underestimated the true effects of Big Brother!
David,
Jeepers! Is it really that bad in the US of A now? Wow – and I thought it was the land of the free.
Maybe Italy is freer than the States in some respects….
I shall have another look at the Italian privacy legislation.
I also was extremely surprised at the loss of individual freedom. I could not believe it. Everything I “knew” about my country no longer exists. Collusion between Government and Corporate America has taken us to a place that completely negates the basis of the constitution, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
We are now simply consumers, every part of our lives is an open book sold here and there so corporations can sell more to us. It is truly sad. Defend your rights to personal freedom and individuallity. The alternative is really bad.
I imagine you have seen ‘The Corporation’. The film seems to reflect your opinions very accurately. Alas Italy is going down the same road, albeit slowly. American and US style credit cards are here and there are adverts for personal loans everywhere. I even saw the dreaded ‘consolidate all your loans into one’ ad the other day.
First you reduce everyone’s incomes enough to encourage them into taking out as much credit as possible, then you can make a profit on the sale and even make some money on the credit deal they use to buy the product. Free credit is all the rage here – but it’s just a clever ploy to get people to start paying for things bit by bit. Soon the free loans will evaporate and someone will start making lots of cash on the interest payments.