The processing of health information- protecting the individual right to privacy through effective legal remedies
The processing of health information- protecting the individual right to privacy through effective legal remedies
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健康信息的处理——通过有效的法律补救措施保护个人隐私权
DOI：
10.1007/s12553-017-0184-4
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发表时间：
2017
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Björg Thorarensen
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Björg Thorarensen
隐私权一般属于宪法保护的权利，在国际人权文书中被列为基本人权。个人健康信息是私人生活中特别重要的元素，健康数据被定义为敏感的个人数据并被接受。现代计算机和信息技术能够处理大量有关健康的数据，这使公共当局和私营实体侵犯隐私的风险越来越大。本文论述了隐私的概念，作为一个法律的术语和一项人权，以及在国家当局面前执行这项权利的司法补救措施。例如，美国没有一部全面的联邦法律来规范个人数据的收集和使用，而欧洲国家则在这个问题上采取了广泛的监管框架。斯特拉斯堡的欧洲人权法院一再确认，有关个人健康的信息是个人私生活的一个重要因素。因此，对健康信息的处理是对隐私权的干涉，然而，在符合某些法律的要求的情况下，出于科学研究等公共利益的考虑，这种干涉是有道理的。在相互竞争的公共利益和私人利益之间寻求公平的平衡是一项复杂的任务。将对冰岛进行案例研究，在冰岛，关于保护个人数据的欧洲条约和条例已纳入国内法。冰岛法院解决了与处理健康数据和侵犯隐私有关的问题，除其他外，宣布关于建立中央卫生部门数据库的立法违宪。这说明了立法，加上个人有效诉诸法院的机会，如何能够为声称其隐私权受到侵犯的个人提供法律的救济。
The right to privacy generally belongs to constitutionally protected rights and is listed with fundamental human rights in international human rights instruments. Personal health information is particularly important element of private life, and health data is defined and accepted as sensitive personal data. Modern computer and information technology is capable of processing enormous amounts of data concerning health, which entails a growing risk of violations of privacy by both public authorities and private entities. This article addresses the concept of privacy, as a legal term and a human right, and judicial remedies to enforce the right before national authorities. Whereas no single comprehensive federal law exists in the US for instance, regulating the collection and use of personal data, European states have adopted an extensive regulatory framework on the issue. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg has repeatedly confirmed that information about a person’s health is an important element of one’s private life. Accordingly, processing of health information is an interference with the right to privacy, which may however be justified with a reference to public interests such as scientific research, subject to certain legal requirements. Finding a fair balance between the competing public and private interests is a complicated task. A case study will be made of Iceland, where the European treaties and regulations on protection of personal data have been implemented into domestic law. The Icelandic courts have resolved questions related to processing of health data and violations of privacy, and inter alia declared unconstitutional, legislation on the establishment of a centralised health sector database. This illustrates how legislation, accompanied with effective individual access to the courts, may offer legal reliefs to individuals claiming violation of their right to privacy.