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NEWS
GEORGIA TODAY
FEBRUARY 26 - 29, 2016
Read. Learn. Enjoy. Introducing Georgia Today/ Education
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ear friends and future readers, For us the process of learning is so important that we’ve decided to dedicate an entire publication to it. Now this is unusual, actually it is an anomaly when it comes to global trends, because every year, every day, there are fewer and fewer newspapers in print on the planet. News is becoming digital. And that is a good thing because it indicates progress in technology. It is the difference between the world that you’ve grown up in and the one that we (we’re 30-something years old!) have watched change and evolve so quickly. Just imagine this: antibiotics, perhaps the most important medical technology, did not exist until World War II. We were around ten years old when we first heard about the internet. We marvel at the technology that for so many of you is just normal. We also know that not all of it is a good thing. You see, so much tech, data and sheer information came into our lives so quickly that sometimes we have to take a step back and really talk about what it means for the people we care about the most. Also we want to tell you this: There is power in the printed word, in holding something like this very newspaper in your hands. It means that not just one person wrote their feelings on Facebook or in a Wordpress blog, but that a lot of people- the writer, the editors, the publisher, the designers, etc., all believed in the power of those words too, believed enough to print them. That is why this article is sitting in front of you right now. We wanted to say “Hello” on paper and to make it official, to connect with you and tell you a little bit about what we are going to do in our new monthly publication, what we hope to do together. This paper is
about education, hence the title. Sure, this means that we hope that students are going to read it—we even hope that this may end up in some classrooms. But here’s the thing about being a student, or what in English slang we call “the
rub”: It never ends. We think that every human being on earth is still a student. The cleverest people out there already know this, and they never stop learning. We at GEORGIA TODAY are students, too. We may have some grey hairs and remember what life was like before cell
phones, but it is for that very reason that we continue to learn. Each month we are going to bring you stories about people, about technology, about innovative new kinds of business in Georgia and even sometimes about how it all fits into the larger global picture— what fancy people call ‘foreign policy.’ We are going to include an English dictionary at the bottom of the page to explain the words you see in bold, an Info Box to explain about the company or person in the article in more detail, and a Food for Thought box to get you thinking and debating “outside the box.” And we are not going to write long pedantic articles to try and convince you that we are smart. We simply are going to share some exciting
stories. We hope that you will interact with us and become more than just readers through Twitter, Facebook and email. The bottom line (another English term) is that we want to connect with you and to share some stories each month that we find fascinating. Sure, it’s strange to be reading about technology in a printed newspaper, but irony can be a beautiful thing. It reminds us that the world around us is not constructed in binary code: black and white, off and on, right and wrong, one and zero. So if you find yourself reading about technology in a newspaper or about Lebowski on a laptop, we hope it brings a smile to your face and that you know we are smiling, too. Until next time, Will Cathcart and Katie Ruth Davies Editors, Georgia Today/Education
Personal Data Protection in Georgia Approaching World Standards Continued from page 1
WHY WAS IT DECIDED TO ESTABLISH THIS SERVICE? The Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection, which entered into force in 2012, foresees the establishment of a supervisory authority - The Personal Data Protection Inspector in order to supervise and monitor the lawfulness of data processing and the implementation of data protection legislation. The establishment of this institution was also an obligation under the 2001 Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention 108 regarding supervisory authorities and crossborder data flows. Further, the visa liberalization process with the European Union necessitated carrying out comprehensive reforms in the field of data protection, including the adoption of relevant legislation, its practical implementation, effective operation of the Inspector’s Office and raising public awareness.
HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO APPLY TO THE PERSONAL DATA INSPECTOR? An individual can submit a complaint regarding an alleged violation of data protection rights online (by sending an e-mail or via Facebook) or call +995322421000.
WHERE CAN SOMEONE FIND INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR PERSONAL DATA? Generally, one can get such information from the organization that processes the data. Various categories of data processed by public or private organizations are also available online on the Inspector’s website through the Filing System Catalogues. If someone is interested what is implied by personal data and how to control such data, he/she can apply to the Inspector’s Office for a consultation.
CAN A PERSON UPDATE THEIR PERSONAL DATA? A data subject is entitled to request the
data controller to update the data if the data is incomplete, inaccurate, not updated, or was illegally collected and processed. Sucha request may be submitted either in writing, orally or by electronic means. Within 15 days of the request being received, a data controller is obliged to update the data or to inform the data subject of the grounds for refusal. The service is free of charge.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE APPROACHES TO FOREIGNERS AND GEORGIANS IN YOUR SYSTEM? There is no difference between foreigners and Georgians in our system. We treat each and every complaint and case equally, without distinction.
HOW CAN WE BE SURE OUR PERSONAL DATA IS WELL-PROTECTED? In case of alleged violation of data protection rights, the Law of Georgia on Personal Data Protection provides sev-
eral remedies to data subjects: this could be through the Court or the Office of the Personal Data Protection Inspector. The latter mechanism is cost effective and of course takes less time than cases dealt with in Court. The Inspector can utilize different measures to enforce the Law, such as: • Force the elimination of the violation and the deficiencies related to data processing;
• Insist on temporary or permanent termination of data processing; • Insist on termination of data processing, their blocking, deletion, destruction or depersonalization; • Insist on termination of data transfer to other states and international organizations; • Give written advice and recommendations; • Impose fines.
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR I would like to apologize for the incorrect photograph which accompanied the article “Polish Foreign Minister on Ukraine, Georgia and Russia” in this week’s printed issue of GT/Business (#820/15) which showed Frank-Walter Steinmeier instead of the interviewee, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykovsky.