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住基ネットの「プライバシー」とは?
住基ネットからの個人情報流出が懸念されているが
そこに登録される情報のほとんどは
すでに一般社会で公になっているものではないか。
Privacy? What privacy?
With the passage of the Personal Information Protection Act in late May, the debate about personal information is once again at the fore in Japan. A central issue is whether the "Juki Net" - a computer network for cities to share basic information about their residents - is a safe system. The goal of the system is to help make the many troublesome official applications and documents that citizens need to deal with easier to process for all parties. But some people are worried that lax security could let their "personal" information leak out. A Nagano Prefecture committee has recommended that Nagano drop out of Juki Net entirely for this reason.
I simply cannot understand the privacy concerns of people criticizing Juki Net. Official forms and registrations are one of the biggest annoyances in Japan. I'm behind anything that will lessen that burden. And I don't think Juki Net presents a meaningful security risk.
Consider the information: name, address, gender, date of birth. This is the kind of information you're required to provide all the time when requesting services, be it a loan at the bank or to rent videos at your local video shop. Even if the information on Juki Net is perfectly protected, there are already hundreds of other ways for this information to leak out.
Consider the risk: So what if it does leak? Now somebody knows your name, address, etc. And what are they going to do with that? They will probably send you advertising. That's hardly a major social crisis. And if somebody wants to use it for a crime, they don't need Juki Net to get that level of information about you.
Consider other privacy violations: Japanese society is filled with far worse examples of personal information being publicized, yet there seems to be no public outcry.
Any new parent can tell you that shortly after a birth, there is a flood of direct-mail advertising for baby-related products. This is because companies can freely browse birthdates and other personal information at city offices.
If you have a friend who is a car dealer or in a related business, you can get the name and address of the owner of any car from its license plate number. That's why TV reports frequently conceal the plates of photographed cars.
If you decide to build a house in Japan, your name, address, and other information about the project are published in industry newspapers, resulting in a deluge of commercial offers.
If you file for personal bankruptcy and your debts are discharged by the courts, your name and address are published in court documents, freely viewable by others.
And perhaps the ultimate privacy violation: If you make more than ¥10 million per year, your name and income are publicized by the tax bureau as part of the annual taxpayer rankings.
On the one hand, people love to complain about government services. "Make it better," they say. But when the government tries to do so with Juki Net, they scream, "Privacy invasion!", while ignoring all the gaping holes that already exist. You cannot have it both ways, folks. I'll take Juki Net.
Shukan ST: June 13, 2003
(C) All rights reserved
- passage
- 成立
- Personal Information Protection Act
- 個人情報保護法
- at the fore
- クローズアップされて
- whether 〜 is a safe system
- 〜が安全な仕組みになっているかどうか
- Juki Net
- 住基ネット(住民基本台帳ネットワークシステム)
- share
- 共有する
- residents
- 住民
- make 〜 easier to process
- 〜をより簡単に処理できるようにする
- official applications and documents
- 役所関係の申請書や書類
- parties
- 関係者
- lax
- 甘い
- leak out
- 流出する
- Nagano Prefecture committee
- 長野県本人確認情報保護審議会のこと
- has recommended
- 勧告書を提出している
- Official forms and registrations
- 公式書類の書式や登録
- annoyances
- 面倒なこと
- (am)behind anything 〜
- 〜なら何でも支持する
- lessen
- 軽減する
- burden
- 負担
- meaningful
- 重大な
- Consider 〜
- 〜を考えてごらんなさい
- gender
- 性別
- (are)required to povide
- 提出を求められる
- be it 〜 or 〜
- 〜であれ、〜であれ
- hardly 〜
- とても〜とはいえない
- major social crisis
- 重大な社会的危機
- violations
- 侵害
- far worse examples
- はるかに悪質な事例
- being publicized
- 公にされる
- outcry
- 激しい抗議
- browse
- 閲覧する
- city offices
- 役所
- license plate
- ナンバープレート
- industry newspapers
- 業界紙
- resulting in 〜
- おかげで〜が起きる
- deluge
- 殺到
- file for 〜
- 〜を申請する
- personal bankruptcy
- 個人破産
- debts
- 負債
- 〜 are discharged
- 〜が免責される
- court documents
- 裁判所の文書
- viewable by 〜
- 〜が見ることができる
- income
- 収入
- tax bureau
- 税務署
- On the one hand
- 一方では
- gaping holes
- ぽっかりと開いた穴
- cannot have it both ways
- 二またをかけることはできない
- folks
- みなさん