Zoekresultaten

Is that lawful?

Data collected from fitness trackers worn by employees could be very useful for businesses. The sharing of this data with employers is already a well-established practice in the United States, and companies in Europe are showing an interest in the introduction of such devices among their workforces. Our argument is that employers processing their employees’ fitness trackers data is unlikely to be lawful under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Wearable fitness trackers, such as Fitbit and AppleWatch devices, collate intimate data about the wearer’s location, sleep and heart rate. As a result, we consider that they not only represent a novel threat to the privacy and autonomy of the wearer, but that the data gathered constitutes ‘health data’ regulated by Article 9. Processing health data, including, in our view, fitness tracking data, is prohibited unless one of the specified conditions in the GDPR applies. After examining a number of legitimate bases which employers can rely on, we conclude that the data processing practices considered do not comply with the principle of lawfulness that is central to the GDPR regime. We suggest alternative schema by which wearable fitness trackers could be integrated into an organization to support healthy habits amongst employees, but in a manner that respects the data privacy of the individual wearer.

Leveraging data protection law for protecting workers’ fundamental right to health and safety in the workplace

The American company Amazon has made headlines several times for monitoring its workers in warehouses across Europe and beyond.1 What is new is that a national data protection authority has recently issued a substantial fine of €32 million to the e-commerce giant for breaching several provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (gdpr) with its surveillance practices. On 27 December 2023, the Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (cnil)—the French Data Protection Authority—determined that Amazon France Logistique infringed on, among others, Articles 6(1)(f) (principle of lawfulness) and 5(1)(c) (data minimization) gdpr by processing some of workers’ data collected by handheld scanner in the distribution centers of Lauwin-Planque and Montélimar.2 Scanners enable employees to perform direct tasks such as picking and scanning items while continuously collecting data on quality of work, productivity, and periods of inactivity.3 According to the company, this data processing is necessary for various purposes, including quality and safety in warehouse management, employee coaching and performance evaluation, and work planning.4 The cnil’s decision centers on data protection law, but its implications reach far beyond into workers’ fundamental right to health and safety at work. As noted in legal literature and policy documents, digital surveillance practices can have a significant impact on workers’ mental health and overall well-being.5 This commentary examines the cnil’s decision through the lens of European occupational health and safety (EU ohs). Its scope is limited to how the French authority has interpreted the data protection principle of lawfulness taking into account the impact of some of Amazon’s monitoring practices on workers’ fundamental right to health and safety.

Evaluating privacy, security and regulation concerns for sensory-based assistive technology

In this project we take a look at the laws and regulations surrounding data collection using sensors in assistive technology and the literature on concerns of people about this technology. We also look into the Smart Teddy device and how it operates. An analysis required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) [5] will reveal the risks in terms of privacy and security in this project and how to mitigate them. https://nl.linkedin.com/in/haniers

Social Robots for Elderly Care

Bots in de zorg: hoe kunnen sociale robots bijdragen aan betere zorg?

De EU investeert fors in de ontwikkeling van robotica. Europa heeft drie sectoren aangeduid waarin zij een groot potentieel voorzien als belangrijke toepassingsmarkten voor robotica, namelijk de maakindustrie, de gezondheidszorg en de agrarische sector (euRobotics aisbl, 2013). Ook binnen Nederland leeft de wens om binnen 5 tot 10 jaar een koppositie te spelen op het gebied van robotica in de maakindustrie, gezondheidszorg, agrarische sector, logistiek & transport en inspectie & onderhoud (Holland Robotics, 2018). In dit artikel willen wij nader ingaan op het specifieke domein van sociale robotica in de gezondheidszorg.

Cruciale innovatie: samenwerking met informele zorgverleners door professionals.

Een vrouw vertelt hoe zij vanaf haar 17e de mantelzorg aan haar moeder – NAH, epilepsie – heeft vormgegeven. Na de scheiding van haar ouders heeft zij de zorg op zich genomen en ook nu haar moeder is opgenomen is zij het eerste aanspreekpunt. Vanaf het ontstaan van de zorgsituatie heeft zij moeten ervaren dat de aandacht van de professionals alleen op haar moeder was gericht en dat zij zelf noch als medezorgverlener noch als zorgvrager werd gezien. “Nooit vroeg iemand aan mij hoe het met míj was..”. Terugkijkend op haar leven constateert zij dat ze veel meer heeft moeten inleveren – studie, baan, sociaal leven, gezondheid – dan met meer aandacht van en erkenning door professionele zorgverleners nodig was geweest.