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2020-01-30
Martim Bouza Serrano talks about the “Argus Panoptes " state

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Martim Bouza Serrano, Partner, and Coordinator of the CCA's Technology, Media and Telecommunications Department, writes an opinion piece for Jornal de Negócios on the growing interest that States have shown as regards the personal data of their citizens.

Recently, hidden in the text of the law implementing the General Data Protection Regulation, the Parliament decided to include an article which gives the State the possibility to see everything about its citizens. The law now allows public bodies to share our personal data with each other and to use said data for different objectives and purposes than those which justified their initial collection, being sufficient for such to demonstrate that there is a “public interest”.

"The creation of a giant Argus Panoptes State that concentrates all of our personal data should concern everyone, especially because, as the Edward Snowden case taught us, the concept of “public interest”, in addition to being vague and indeterminate, tends to have the sufficient elasticity that States seek to accommodate less public interests", underlines the Partner.

  • Jornal de Negócios