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Brush Up Your English

Personal data protection II

But can this article prevent the law from being passed - I mean practically? Does the Charter define, what are the criteria for an "other legitimate basis", does it define, how law has to be made in this respect and who shall control the procedure to guarantee that fundamental rights are in fact granted? If the Charter does not provide a clear procedure how are people really protected? If it does not define sharp limits for any cutbacks of citizens' rights, it should be filed in the category of "bedtime-stories".
So I scratch my head...trying to think hard: Provided this law will pass and they ask me for my personal data... Shall I give my fingerprints - or even my DNA - to a growing state which does not fulfil the minimum standards of a modern democracy? Where there is no separation of powers? That has a parliament, which has no right to initiate law? Where - instead - non-elected public servants have the monopoly to initiate law, which in the end is decided by the executives of the member states - avoiding control by their national parliaments?
to prevent from – zabránit čemu to mean – mít na mysli to define – definovat in this respect – v tomto ohledu to guarantee – zaručit in fact – ve skutečnosti to grant – udělit

clear – jasný to protect – chránit sharp – ostrý cutback – omezení, snížení to file – zařadit, archivovat bedtime-stories – pohádky na dobrou noc to scratch – drbat se to think hard – hluboce se zamyslet provided – za předpokladu growing –rostoucí to fulfil – naplňovat, uspokojovat, vyhovět power – moc, síla to initiate – přijmout instead – místo toho servant – sluha, služebník in the end – nakonec to avoid – vyhnout se

Democracy?
Perhaps I am too naïve, but somehow all this contradicts completely with what I was taught about democracy in school, and it also contradicts, what I would call my "natural feeling" about how it should be. Am I too suspicious? Do I have to have more faith in the democracy I live in? Or do I have to be quite stupid to accept all that? Perhaps I am old-fashioned and a "modern" democracy does not need all that formal stuff anymore. Perhaps for a modern democracy it is more important to control its citizens than to be controlled by them? But thinking about all that somehow feels like a déjà-vu! Suppose I refuse to give away my fingerprints? What would happen? Would I immediately be classified a criminal? Someone who has to hide something, with bad intentions? Would I have to go to jail? Would I have to leave the European Union? Perhaps another claim of the preamble of the Charter of Fundamental Rights would protect me: "Human dignity is inviolable. It must be respected and protected." But somehow I am afraid, that de facto it won't.
too – příliš to call – nazvat, volat natural – přirozený suspicious – podezíravý faith in – víra v to accept – přijmout

old-fashioned – staromódní stuff – látka, materiál, nesmysl

to control – řídit to refuse – odmítnout to give away – vydat

to happen – stát se immediately – okamžitě to hide - skrývat

intention – záměr jail – vězení claim – právo, požadavek, nárok preamble – preambule, úvodní formule dignity – důstojnost inviolable – neporušitelný, nedotknutelný

Připravuje Markéta Frýbová



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