Law Commons^™

“Samaritans Radar”: A Victim Of (A Misguided) Privacy Debate?, Subhajit Basu, Richard Jones

Subhajit Basu

On average over 6,000 people die from suicides in the UK every year. According to World Health Organisation suicide kills more people than conflicts and natural disasters put together. In the past few years although there has been an increase in research and knowledge about suicide and however the stigma surrounding suicide still persist and more than often vulnerable individuals do not seek help.

Samaritans is a UK based charity whose vision is that fewer people die by suicide. It aims to achieve this by providing emotional support for those suffering distress and despair. It was founded by Chad Varah …

Privacy In Public: “Google Glass” And “Creepshots”, Subhajit Basu

Subhajit Basu

This article looks at two interrelated issues that we will be confronting since the invention of “Google Glass”. First, the development of a particular technology that is inevitable and sometimes autonomous and, second, potential victims of that innovation. I argue that the expansion of a technology like “Google Glass”, in particular the use of this technology for taking “creepshots”, blurs the line between what is considered public and private. “Creepshots” are covertly taken sexually indicative photographs, mostly of women, which are posted online without consent. In fact, it is the lack of consent that is the crucial component for a …

Information Revolution: “Choice Of Control” To “Choice And Control”, Subhajit Basu, Christina Munns

Subhajit Basu

Please do not cite without permission of the authors.

In this article, we critically analyse whether the ‘privacy framework’ for health records is ‘fit-for-purpose’ for the NHS’s ‘information revolution’ and argue that the NHS’s ‘proxy-individual’ information-guardian role could inadvertently mask individuals’ intended roles, effectively circumventing autonomy-based laws by limiting the power of individuals to be autonomous. We suggest that moving ‘choice of control’ to individuals will render ‘privacy’ redundant whilst validating ‘confidentiality’ via consent from empowered individuals. This power shift would expose the overdue need for options to increase levels of individual ‘control/privacy,’ moving from the NHS’s paternal ‘proxy-individual’ conception …