I think that the way Ian develops these arguments could apply to other
data as well e.g., address with some degree of imagination, I may add!!

My email address at say yahoo, is personal data if it associated with
other data that yahoo processes as data controller or another data
processor on their behalf. As such I can ask to change it, delete it etc
but I don't have the right to demand exclusivity to this email address.
This is under a different law (trademark, copyright, etc) To further
strengthen my point, the same email address can be personal data of
another individual in the same way that name, surname and address are.

Babis

*******************************************
Dr Babis Theodoulidis
CRIM - Centre for Research in Information Management
Department of Computation - UMIST
PO Box 88, Sackville Street, Manchester, M60 1QD, UK
Tel: +44 161 200 3309
Fax: +44 161 200 3324
http://www.crim.co.umist.ac.uk/
*******************************************



> -----Original Message-----
> From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection
> issues [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ian Welton
> Sent: 11 December 2002 09:39
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Personal data about a subject?
>
>
> Following on this line and input from an off line comment - A thought.
>
> With e-mail addresses falling within the definitions as
> personal data, that would clearly make the data subject
> (e-mail address owner) the data controller for any particular
> e-mail account they have.  If that is correct the account
> provider must be a data processor acting on behalf of the
> data subject.
>
> Is the contract (Schedule 1, para. 12. DPA 1998.) then under
> the control of the data subject, or account provider?
>
> If the contract falls under the control of the account
> provider, does that not make them joint data controllers of
> the e-mail account?
>
> If it does not, can the account provider lawfully do anything
> with the account without the permission of the data subject?
>
> Can an data subject then instruct an account provider not to
> re-issue an e-mail address following its termination, and
> determine the defunct period, or does the data subject loose
> control of the address once they terminate?
>
> Ian W
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: This list is for those interested in Data Protection issues
> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of davidwyatt
> > Sent: 11 December 2002 10:21
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: Personal data about a subject?
> >
> >
> > Re Email as personal data
> >
> > The analysis by Babis  I believe is correct. It is one I
> have posted
> > on in the past. Probably in the archives.
> >
> > David Wyatt
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Babis Theodoulidis" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2002 8:40 AM
> > Subject: Re: [data-protection] Personal data about a subject?
> >
> >
> > > This is an interesting case!! I think that email addresses are
> > > personal data when they can be used to identify
> individuals on their
> > > own or together with other co-referenced data. We have done some
> > > research in my group here at UMIST on anonymised data and
> personal
> > > data identifiers that includes this case.
> > >
> > > The key issue is whether "sjohn@TownUniversiity" could be used to
> > > identify a specific individual or a small number, say 5,
> > > individuals. If this is the case then it is a domain-specific
> > > identifier and it is personal data. This is not the case for
> > > example, if I am the data controller and I process an
> email address
> > > like "[log in to unmask]" and I don't have access to other
> YAHOO data.
> > > This is not personal data in this case because it cannot
> identify an
> > > individualon its own or combined with other data that the data
> > > controller posseses.
> > >
> > > In general, it depends on who is the data controller
> (ISP, employer,
> > > etc) and the other data that are processed by that data
> controller.
> > >
> > > Babis
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: This list is for those interested in Data
> Protection issues
> > > > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
> Stephen John
> > > > Sent: 09 December 2002 19:06
> > > > To: [log in to unmask]
> > > > Subject: Personal data about a subject?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Does a business e mail address such as
> [log in to unmask]
> > > > constitute personal dat about sjohn?
> > > >
> > > > It seems to me it ought to as it says something about an
> > > > individualm ie that the individaul probably works at that
> > > > establishment
> > > >
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