Spring Break
MUDEC, international students debate privacy issues
Claire E. Keys
Issue date: 11/28/06 Section: Campus
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Aimed at dissolving social barriers through cross-cultural dialogue, the disputatio presented students with current and controversial issues in a roundtable setting. This year's discussion focused on protection of privacy, while last year students discussed democracy.
More than 20 Miami students studying at MUDEC attended with students and professors from countries including Luxembourg, Holland and Germany, all of whom attend the Université du Luxembourg.
The evening commenced with a lecture by Gérard Lommel, president of the National Commission for Protection of Data in Luxembourg. Lommel outlined common privacy infringements - a potential employer inquiring your political stance or a store tracking your purchases for sales statistics - and emphasized the importance of understanding individual rights.
"There is a fear that technological possibilities could undermine a respect for the privacy of human beings," Lommel said. "Where there is no privacy, there is no dignity."
Lommel cited several ways in which personal data that is collected can be quite beneficial. For example, stores and supermarkets tracking consumer habits are better able to cater to their customers.
Camera surveillance assists in minimizing crime.
"Still," Lommel said, "it remains a matter of finding the right balance - enforcement of law and enforcement of human rights. That is our challenge."
Later, arranged in smaller, more intimate groups, students built upon Lommel's seminar, comparing governments, levels of privacy and social taboos.
Patrick Spence, an Ohio State University senior studying at MUDEC, was surprised by the conclusions from his group's discussion, which centered on banking matters and public exposure of pedophiles.
"Above all, I learned that - somewhat shockingly - Europeans have much more privacy than Americans," Spence said. "(The Europeans) were shocked to hear that Americans have complete access to all public files, and that banks keep detailed credit records that span each client's entire history."
