The fundamental right to private life and data protection are the object of a separate analysis in chapter four. Privacy needs in e-inclusion of elderly people, we suggest, include a protective dimension shielding the individual from undue external pressures, and an emancipatory dimension, more difficult to conceptualise, which relates to the individual need and interest in sharing life with others. Often, in concrete situations, older persons will have both interests and needs at the same time. In the Information Society, the protective function of privacy boils down to shielding older citizens from unnecessary or excessive categorisation including techniques such as spam, targeted advertisements, commercial profiling, in general when it is not clear why and for which purpose one person's preferences, tastes, etc. need to be opened up. The emancipatory function of privacy recognises the right to establish relations with others. Here the task of privacy protection is to ensure that sharing personal experiences or information takes place without the individual having to care, or to stay alert, or anxious about the fact that there is a ‘(data) arms race’ going on behind his or her back. In this sense, the crucial function of privacy is to protect networks, such as situations of dependency, so sharing can remain a trusted interpersonal exercise.

Concerning data protection, the realisation of ubiquitous environments, in particular in the field of health care and surveillance, draws the attention to the tension between data protection and the requirements of the new ICT environment, which needs extensive data collection and profiling in order to make the user's environment act intelligently. From the European data protection regime, we identify three areas that ought to be given consideration, at least from an elderly perspective. They concern the definition and implementation of privacy by design settings and regulations; rules on the transparency and accountability of processors and controllers; and consent requirements.

The latter, consent requirements, is dealt with in a separate chapter, chapter five. Starting from an analysis of consent in human rights law, where consent is a key notion in the field of medical law, we discuss the data processing context, where consent is an increasingly formalised notion. We surmise that sociological changes in the IT society, unbalanced relations between users and client organisations, complexity of data processing and increasing situations of incapacity affecting consent in large sectors of the ageing population pose challenges to the notion of consent. The snag, from an elderly perspective, is to find solutions that, while not frustrating individual self-determination and liberty, assist, where appropriate, the individual declaration of consent so as to avoid putting excessive responsibility on him or her.

Chapter six includes a review of the state of the art of technology for inclusion of elderly people. After discussing inclusion in the context of the Internet and computer technologies, the chapter focuses on ambient technologies. The aim is to explain why the convergence of technologies is significant in terms of support of the elderly. Cases are discussed which involve applications for cognitive support, support for ADLs, communications, health and mobility. The final pages focus on the barriers inhibiting the development or adoption of these technologies and on the risks that might arise from failure of such technologies to take proper root.

An important element in the e-inclusion strategies has been the identification and promotion of good practices. Noting increased emphasis on good practices as a matter of e-inclusion strategy, chapter seven considers what good practices are, what their perceived value is and what are the criteria used for selecting them. The success in using good practices as a matter of strategy and policy is critically dependent on how they are selected and by whom and how well they are promoted or disseminated. The chapter includes four examples of good practices.

As the title of the book suggests, the benefits associated with the use of modern technologies will not come automatically. Information Society technologies do not stand apart and develop autonomously from social life; not inevitable, nor neutral, technologies are the product of the human project and the result of the work of networks of people, scientists, research leaders, companies, sponsors, politicians, investors, experts, committees, etc. which take decisions and make choices. Similarly, technological developments are given direction by narratives which emphasise contrasting views of ageing. The point the book makes is a warning: society should question itself about the use of technology to deal with ageing, whether this is ultimately ethically good, to what extent and within which limits. The risk we run is that ageing and the role of old age go in disguise and disappear from societal sight.

Finally, the authors would like to thank everyone who contributed to the SENIOR project. Special thanks go to participants to the numerous SENIOR meetings who graciously shared their insights with us and brought their experienced perspectives into the project. We gratefully acknowledge support of the European Commission services at the DG Information Society and Media, and in particular to the ICT for Inclusion unit, its head Mr. Paul Timmers and project officers Silvia Bojinova and Giorgio Zoia.

A note of special thanks goes to Valeria Balestrieri from CSSC (Rome). Without her dedication and patience this book would not have been possible.

The authors

Emilio Mordini, Paul de Hert, Eugenio Mantovani, David Wright, Kush Wadhwa, Jesper Thestrup, Guido Van Steendam, Ira Vater, Antonio D'Amico.