IT must lead the privacy debate

Who would have thought that one of the country’s highest-profile politicians would resign over concerns about the way technology is affecting our civil liberties?

There has been much discussion in the past week over the motives ­ indeed, the sanity ­ of former shadow home secretary David Davis’s unexpected decision to trigger a by-election as a way of fighting the creation of the “database state”.

The politics of Davis’s move are for another publication, but the principles demonstrate that the role of technology in society has reached a pivotal point.

We are moving out of the era of techno-fear into one of IT literacy and even enthusiasm for the use of technology in our everyday lives. Consumers are forcing a radical reshaping of the role of IT and of IT professionals.

But before the tech industry can take its place as the main driver behind a cultural and sociological transformation, it must address the very real concerns that Davis has highlighted.

The privacy debate is now the central issue of the internet age. We must find ways for IT to create trust in the institutions that are charged with protecting personal information. We must also develop technologies that will put effective control of personal data into the hands of each individual.

Davis’s cause may not last past a by-election; the privacy debate will affect the IT industry for far longer.