Life Science Journal 2012;9(4) http://www.lifesciencesite.com The Role Of Data Protection Technologies: A Case Study Shafqat Hameed*, Mujtaba Hassan Agha**, Muhammad Abbas Choudhary*** *, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan ** Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Islamabad, Pakistan ***University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Taxila, Pakistan [email protected] ABSTRACT: In today’s digital era, Consumers information plays a very significant role for the companies. They are utilizing this information in different ways to cater the costumers with novel products and services. But the privacy of this information is of much more importance for the service providers as well as for the consumers. The privacy and the protection of the Customers’ personal information is a growing concern for the consumers of the telecommunication services all over the world. The importance of telecommunications is apparent from the revenue this service generates for the world economy. There have been innumerable cases around the globe which demonstrated lack of security of customers’ personal data. The causes might be different apart from lack of investment in the sophisticated technology for this growing concern. The aim of this study is to analyse the privacy policy of the telecommunication companies, the laws related to customer data protection, different incidents related to customer’s privacy and the role of different data protection technologies to overcome this soaring issue. [Shafqat Hameed, Mujtaba Hassan Agha, Muhammad Abbas Choudhary. The Role Of Data Protection Technologies: A Case Study. Life Sci J 2012;9(4):1270-1279] (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com. 192 Key words: Telecommunications, privacy, data, information, protection, technology 1. INTRODUCTION name, address, fixed line number, mobile number, The mobile telecommunications sector is email address and all other contact details. And when growing at a large scale in Pakistan. personal information of costumers is misused or Telecommunications is not only one of the fastest deficiently protected, its consequences can be identity growing sectors in Pakistan but also all around the theft, financial fraud, and other problems that world. It plays a significant role in global economy. collectively cost people, businesses, and governments Pakistan was the third fastest growing millions of dollars per year. In the telecommunications telecommunications market in the world in 2008 sector, lack of privacy and data protection is a (Wilson J, 2009) and it is estimated that in April 2011 perturbing situation for the consumers which need to it has 108 million mobile subscribers (CIA, 2011). In be addressed. The main objective of all the businesses, Pakistan, cell phone coverage has been provided to by and large, is to satisfy the customers at an optimum approximately 90 percent of the areas and more than level. half of Pakistan’s population has access to a cell “Data privacy refers to the evolving relationship phone. between technology and the legal right to, or public With the evolution of technology, the privacy has expectation of privacy in the collection and sharing of been the most important issue for the customers data about one's self. Privacy concerns exist wherever associated with information technology. The aim of uniquely identifiable data relating to a person or this study is to identify the significance of the persons are collected and stored, in digital form or customers’ privacy and their data protection and how otherwise”(Jericho Forum, 2007). the technology can be used to improve the privacy and In addition, early definitions of consumer privacy to protect the customers ‘data? concentrate on two types of control: 1) control of Every country possesses written laws for the presence of others in the marketing environment and protection of personal information and the limits under 2) control of transactional information (Goodwin which the private information can be accessed or used 1991; Jones 1991). These definitions of privacy were are provided by the concerned authorities. Consumer elaborated to include the information regarding the privacy has become a crucial issue with the advent and consumers’ knowledge about the organization’s evolution of the mass communications, electronic information practices and privacy policy (Foxman and methods, telecommunications and Web. In Kilcoyne 1993; Nowak and Phelps 1995).Consumers telecommunications, Personal information includes assert that they have a right to privacy in marketing call traffic details, service usage data i.e. email/ situations, But consumer privacy is not considered internet and customer information which includes absolute for the following reasons: 1) Conflicts of 1270 Life Science Journal 2012;9(4) http://www.lifesciencesite.com consumer privacy with other consumer and marketer 2.1.3 Legal level rights, 2) what represents consumer privacy is In a strictly legal sense, the term privacy refers to culturally, and individually determined 3) Moreover, the special sphere of privacy protected by law. Privacy who “owns” consumers‟ private information, the also refers to the right to privacy in the strict sense. terminology differs in marketers and consumers 2.1.4 Interest level (Foxman and Kilcoyne 1993; Milne and Gordon Sometimes the term privacy is often used to refer 1993).Similarly ,The literature inquired the ethical not to the right itself, but to the interests justifying the dimensions of consumers‟ right to privacy and protection granted to some right. marketers‟ information practices. Researchers have The role of the interests is played by privacy that examined the different associated justifications of lay behind the protection of other corroborative rights regarding control of information, the privacy trade-offs e.g. the secrecy of telecommunications that customers make with a firm and the application of Generally, privacy is defined as “the control over several theories to explain perceptions of authority, one’s seclusion and secrecy. In telecommunications trust, and equity regarding a firm’s information privacy this definition can justify the recognition of practices. the secrecy as a right, one’s freedom of action which is It is legitimate for the consumers to question the one’s freedom to express oneself freely in companies about their concerns related to the services telecommunication as a medium of communication and the obligation of the service providers is to address that is the utmost reason for the protection of secrecy their concerns. Data Protection and Privacy is a in telecommunication industry (Rodriguez, 1997). challenging problem for the telecommunication 2.2. Privacy protection approaches companies. It is not easy to manage and handle the Quinn (2005) divided the approaches to privacy large data of billions and trillions terabytes and even into two categories: more. Undoubtedly, Technology has solved myriad 2.2.1. Free market approach problems and it will continue to do so in future. It is In this approach, the Commercial entities can do evolving day by day as the solution of numerous whatever they want but with the expectation that problems which are encountered daily. Technology is customers will choose to do business with those also trying to provide solution for this issue of privacy corporations which respect consumer privacy to an and data protection. In this paper we will analyse in appropriate degree. And if few companies do not detail the role of different data protection technologies sufficiently respect privacy, then they would and privacy enhancing techniques to address this ultimately lose market share. This approach may be surging issue. confined by limited competition of enterprises in a 2. Literature review: market, who are not offering favourable privacy 2.1. Concept of Privacy in Telecommunications options to the user, or the deficiency on the user’s part The concept of privacy in telecommunications is regarding the information about actual privacy not different from the concept of privacy in other practices. Moreover, the claims made by the spheres of life. Although, there is confusion regarding organizations about the privacy protection may be hard the interpretation of word Privacy, yet in literature this for consumers to affirm. word has been defined in detail. (Rodríguez, 1997) 2.2.2. Consumer protection approach defined the term privacy in four levels. In consumer protection approach, it is recognized 2.1.1. Descriptive level that customers may have lack of time or knowledge to In the descriptive sense privacy does not relates to make any informed choices, or lack of reasonable explicit legal or moral connotation. This refers to the alternatives available (Jensen and Pots, 2004) Mostly most primitive opinion of privacy. The versions average person cannot comprehend the privacy available in dictionaries are said to be of descriptive policies and this approach justifies government level. Which are based on two concepts, one is the definition of privacy and privacy standards. concept of seclusion which is known as a “zero 2.3. Privacy in location based services relationship”, and the other one is the concept of Problems associated with customer’s privacy are secrecy. increasing for location tracking capabilities of mobile devices are increasing; customers’ perspective and 2.1.2. Value level preferences comprise personal information and In a value sense, it is the individual