More privacy invasion on the way

Privacy concerns have been topical is the past week. There is another area where government are about to change legislation to allow more information sharing between departments. Purposeful sharing as opposed to inadvertent.

To implement their proposed Youth Pipeline (contract service providers to manage school leavers most likely to go on welfare) the Ministry of Social Development requires information about these youngsters from the Ministry of Education. You would think that schools are best positioned to identify those students fitting the profile. And it would be a simple exercise to ask for authorisation of the release of their personal details from their guardian or the student themselves. There may be some reluctance or outright refusal but if that is the case expecting compliance with a service provider is probably pie in the sky anyway. Explaining to a parent or guardian that in order for their child to get further help from the state - including a benefit - they need to register contact details, should provide the carrot.

 So it is dismaying to read what the Minister is recommending:

Again this propensity to treat everyone the same because of a minority problem rears its ugly head. I don't want the name and address and other personal details of my child to be given to MSD. Simple as that.


This is going along the same lines as other privacy invasions by the state relating to children that are completely unwarranted.

Also it means spending sorely needed revenue on unnecessary long-winded bureaucratic processes. 

FFS deal with the actual problem and leave the rest of us alone.