After June 30, 2004 about half of the Italian population will knock at the door of the
nearest prison, asking admission. It will be quicker and less painful than the alternative,
that is to break the new privacy law that goes into effect from July 1.
Italy isn't the kind of country where people are throwing away their right to privacy; instead,
we are aiming for the opposite end of idiocy's spectrum and make it illegal for anybody
to disclose any kind of personal data.
The new law is so broad (and so tantalizingly vague) that many daily practices will become
suspect. I've talked to several people who claim to have read the whole text, and these
are some of the most striking conclusions. Beware - interpretation of the law, of course,
depends on who you are talking to.
Business cards must be amended with a phrase that allows the receiver to use the
personal data written on the card "only for purposes allowed by the law". In the meanwhile,
I've blanked out sensitive details from my card - that's to say, my name, phone number and
address.
Every electronic device that contains personal data must be password protected. This
includes cellular phones, since their memory holds a list of names and numbers.
If your PC contains data about your clients, you must explain in detail the countermeasures
applied to avoid unauthorized access. If you choose to learn all the sensitive bits by heart you
will obey this part of the law, but you'll still break the part that requires weekly backups
(until somebody invents a way to store brains on tape).
Personal data must be deleted after they have been processed. Fiscal data (covered by
another law) must be kept for a minimum of ten years. Fiscal personal data will spur the
development of quantum computers, where the files can be kept in a superposition of states.
Newspapers will become boring. "The King of blank has arrived in Rome to meet
President blank. This blank photo shows the two statesmen doing blank."
The law has several nifty bits, such as shifting of the burden of proof on the defendant,
or the part where it says that you can go to jail for two years (what happened to fines?) if
you mess with it.
I've yet to talk to a lawyer to cover my self-employed ass. I discovered the true reason
for this law when the consultant asked for 1000 euro to help me stay out of jail...