This is my penultimate blog for this year. The final blog, to be published on New Year’s Eve, will review the most significant developments of 2012, and offer a few predictions about the challenges ahead.
For me, my perspective on data protection has changed
considerably during the past 12 months. From being a full time employee of a
major company, where the considerations naturally focussed on what was
marginally more beneficial for the data controller, I’ve become an independent
consultant, where a more evenly balanced view of the needs of the data controller
and of the individual has to be taken into account.
While full time employment certainly has its advantages, in
terms of a regular income, my new role has opened doors into new worlds that I might
well not have stepped through. The communications world has been very familiar
territory for well over a decade, but I’ve recently been able to renew my acquaintance
with the financial services world, and I’m becoming increasingly familiar with
the issues that face utility companies, the health sector and the media.
Other worlds that I do hope to explore in even more detail in
future include the worlds of public policy and regulation. Decisions are made
by those who turn up – and I do hope to be able to turn up and influence an
increasing number of these decisions in 2013. Most of the people I have met in
public life share a passion to make this world a better place. They may well have
very different views about what a better place looks like, but I can’t, for the
most part, fault them for their sincerity and commitment to do good deeds. The
disputes will continue to focus on whether their vision is credible and
realistic, and on who will provide the resources that will be necessary to
build their better world.
There are exciting opportunities ahead. I sill wake up each
day with a passion to do my best and to advocate practices that I believe to be
fair and transparent. And while this passion remains, I also hope to continue
to blog about things that matter to me.
So, many thanks to those who have written to me privately
over the past year, commenting on this blog. I’ll continue to respect your confidences. It
is, though, reassuring to know that so many of my opinions are shared with
other professionals in this field.
Wishing everyone a great Xmas break.
Happy holidays.
Image credit:
http://www.christmastreesrus.com/tree1.jpg
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