Germany VS America = Privacy laws

Germany has extremely strict privacy laws: the supreme court has acknowledged a right to "informational self-determination" and everyone storing personal data about others has to obtain consent from these persons, has to allow them access to their records, and can use the data only for the purpose they were originally collected for. The federal government and all states have privacy ombudsmen who take citizen's complaints and make sure that the privacy laws are enforced and extended where appropriate. Germans value their privacy highly and essentially everybody agrees with these laws.

[I was quite amazed at how good the...llowed to do anything at all with your data.]

So do I, and it is absolutely frightening to me how privacy rights are constantly violated by US corporations. Credit card companies keep databases about your purchases and sell the information; supermarkets issue frequent-buyer cards in order to track your preferences; [oops, that's one case where he's w...at tracks you personally and your purchases.] if you buy a TV set in an electronics store, they ask for your name and address; the post office sells information about who moved where; the Internet set-top box WebTV dials up Microsoft every night to upload information about your web surfing habits, etc. etc. [well let's not get into microsoft's evil spy games... that affects america and germany equally.]

The US has very strong access-to-information laws. If the government collected it, and it does not affect vital national interests, then you can file a request to see it. Emails of the president, phone bills of the governor, lists of all issued driver's licenses: everything is fair game. These laws enjoy wide public support.

Interestingly, neither is privacy a big issue in the US nor is access to information a topic in Germany. Clearly, the two issues are opposite ends of a spectrum - you can't have both at the same time. Maybe this difference between the countries is a symptom of the fact that Germans tend to distrust big business, while Americans tend to distrust big government. Quite predictably, the consequence is that corporations are more powerful and government is less powerful in the US than in Germany. When Americans need a quick example of government gone bad, German history serves well; when Germans need a quick example of corporate excesses, American businesses are often used.

[here's another privacy example. as...ica, but which america simply does not have.] [privacy winner: clearly germany. a...ontrol and intrusion on your life over here!]

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The DVLA (Driving Vehicle Licensing) in the UK is a government department used to make sure people have tax on their cars etc.

In the last couple of years the DVLA appears to be attempting to make money. Not only do they fine for people not having car tax now they make money by

1. Selling personalised number plates (fair enough, if it lowers car tax).
2. Selling on people's personal data to any tom, dick or harry who wants to pay for it. (This I am totally against).

I believe the DVLA are breaching the data protection act but being they are a government agency what can we do.

 

Exposed them and raise hell is the few options.

 

The laws, Datenschützgesetzte, only seem apply to you when you want information about yourself. They don't apply to German government agencies, who recently passed laws allowing even the most lowly civil clerks to check your bank account without even asking you.



And they certainly do not apply for the GEZ when finding out information about you. Public television is not free in Germany. It costs the average adult 24 Euro per month. Supposedly, it's on the honor system to register your televisions and radios (the more you have, the more you pay). But even if you have done this, and have to take on a second apartment in town, because it's too far to comute during the week, the very moment you register to have your power turned on, you get mail from the GEZ, demanding to know just how many appliances are running in your house. They assume that you wouldn't register for power if you didn't have a TV.



It is nearly impossible to get them off your back, too, should you decide to toss your televisions and radios out of the house - if you wanted to escape media influence, for instance.



There have been cases that people have been sent double billing because they took back their maiden name, that cats and dogs have been sent billing, because home owners think it's funny to make a extra doorbell for Spot or Rex, and they even stoop to sending bills to dead people - they had one in the Reader's Digest. They sent a bill to Ms. Hildegard von Bingen. Saint Hildegard von Bingen lived during the 9th century in Germany. A German pastor took the time to write a reply, saying, "Mrs. von Bingen has been deceased for over 800 years. I can assure you that during her lifetime, she neither heard radio or watched public television." That still didn't stop the idiots from sending the pastor a late payment reminder.



Privacy in Germany? Not when the government can check your bank account whenever it feels like it, and the GEZ can extort government offices and utility companies to devulge your name and address.

 

There is no "right to privacy" in the U.S. constitution but there is in the California state constitution, which voters approved in 1974.

 

Geat information about germany Matter of fact is right down rediculus what little respect i had for the german goverment it just went down the toilet along with puke and large amounts of feces. I guess the germans never did learn any lessons after ww 2 . i meant to charge for owning a TV or radio is just plain Rediculus not even Hitler did that to the germans. "there was radiios in the germany in the 1930s and 40s.

 

and for many years England was not much better since the BBC ran all the radios and TV programs . but t least they were not taxe and rgister for every tv and radio own .

 

Hitler was the reason why the Federal German Government introduced the GEZ fees. The German constitution intended to prohibit that no interest group could ever completely control the media like the Nazis did in the 30's/40's, so after the Second World War they re-introduced television and radio, which was solely public until 1986. The government funded a part of the television and radio and the public was to fund the other half. The argument behind today's GEZ fees, is that you are offered television programming with hardly any advertising (no sponsor influence on programming).


The result of this idealism is that you get more documentaries, balletts and operas than you get action films, game shows or talk shows. The problem with this idea that everyone has their own idea what quality programming is, and you don't get to choose between culture and trash T.V. - you have to buy it all.