Italian Privacy Authority President
Antonello Soro on Tuesday said cyber crime has grown
significantly and could threaten the physical safety of
citizens.
Cyber crime is a "real threat" with a cost for the world's
economy "estimated at 500 billion euros a year, just slightly
below drug trafficking in a list of illegal earnings", Soro said
in presenting the Authority's annual report to parliament.
In the annual report, the Authority also said freedom of
the press needs to be respected but urged the media to refrain
from publishing wiretaps that have "no real public relevance"
when reporting on judicial cases, Soro said.
Addressing the threat posed by terrorism, the report went on
to say that the reaction of institutions "must be effective but
respectful of rights and fundamental freedoms".
"Not all freedom limitations are actually useful in
preventing terrorism and serious crimes".
And "at a time when there is a stronger, anachronistic drive
to create 'barriers' to the free circulation of goods and
people", new European regulations on personal data protection
"have attained the ambitious objective of ensuring harmonized
legislation across member States".
Following Great Britain's vote to leave the European Union,
Soro also indicated EU data protection rules as the "authentic
compass in a connected world" to be proposed worldwide.
Addressing the issue of privacy in telemarketing, the annual
report noted that operators are continuing to be "uncontrollably
aggressive", compromising the serenity of individuals and
families, Soro said.
The Authority's president in particular referred to
unsolicited promotional phone calls, noting that "3,000
complaints have been filed in the first semester of 2016" and
that "new and more effective" regulations in the sector have
been solicited.
In particular, Soro mentioned that "targeted inspections"
are being carried out by the Authority across call centers and
the companies requesting their services, which are revealing
"serious faults" in the management of personal data.
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