The ATHENA equation – balancing the efficacy of citizens’ response with the reality of citizens’ rights around data protection
| Author | Fraser Sampson |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X17701321 |
| Published date | 01 September 2018 |
| Date | 01 September 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
The ATHENA equation –
balancing the efficacy of
citizens’ response with the
reality of citizens’ rights
around data protection
Fraser Sampson
Office ofthe Police & Crime CommissionerWest Yorkshire, Wakefield, UK
Abstract
The ways and extent to which LEAs and other crisis responders might possibly harness
new communication media – particularly web-based social media such as Twitter and
Facebook, and the prolific use of high-tech mobile devices to provide efficient and
effective communication and enhanced situational awareness during a crisis is being
explored by Sheffield Hallam University’s EC-funded ATHENA project, which comes to
an end in December 2016. This article is the first of a two-part analysis of that seminal
project funded by the European Commission and considers the legal issues arising from
utilising citizen responders’ data in civil emergencies.
Keywords
Civil emergencies, citizen responders, data protection, social media
Introduction
The impact of social media on emergency management has been substantial (see e.g.
Crowe, 2010) and its ‘growing ubiquity, not only in geopolitical, economic and business
spheres, but also in official responsiveness to crisis and disaster’ has been well docu-
mented (Akhgar et al., 2013). Until now, that impact has largely involved the relevant
LEA and other bodies utilising the available networks as another source of mass
Corresponding author:
Fraser Sampson, Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner West Yorkshire, Ploughland House, George St,
Wakefield WF1 1DL, UK.
Email: fraser_ospre@hotmail.com
The Police Journal:
Theory, Practice and Principles
2018, Vol. 91(3) 205–223
ªThe Author(s) 2017
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sagepub.com/journals-permissions
DOI: 10.1177/0032258X17701321
journals.sagepub.com/home/pjx
communication in the prosecution of their o rdinary tasks such as controlling public
disorder and detecting/preventing crime (Coptich and Fox, 2010). The ways and extent
to which LEAs and other crisis responders might possibly harness new communication
media – particularly web-based social media such as Twitter and Facebook, and the
prolific use of high-tech mobile devices – to provide efficient and effective communi-
cation and enhanced situational awareness during a crisis is being explored by Sheffield
Hallam University’s EC-funded ATHENA project.
ATHENA’s approach to crisis management emphasises and centres upon the neces-
sity for effective responders to adjust their actions to the unfolding situation. Its under-
lying premise is that:
The public are under-utilized crisis responders; they are often first on the scene, vastly
outnumber the emergency first responders and are creative and res ourceful. In a crisis, the
public self-organise into voluntary groups, adapt quickly to changing circumstances,
emerge as leaders and experts and perform countless life-saving actions; and they are
increasingly reliant upon the use of new communications media to do it. ATHENA will
help them by joining their conversations and adding an enabling voice. ATHENA will
give them the information they ask for, in a way they can understand. ATHENA will assist
them in targeting their actions, by directing them to the places they need to be and away
from danger.
1
In striving to meet this general objective, ATHENA is seeking to create and deploy
two technical outputs: an ‘app’ and the information dashboard. The app envisages the
person finding themselves a t the centre of the relevant c risis situation as a ‘citize n
reporter’ providing valuable, real-time data to the responders while the dashboard pro-
vides a source of up-to-date information to those caught in crisis from a command and
control centre (see Figure 1).
These twin products are intended to deliver major enablers that will encourage users
of new media to contribute to the security of ‘citizens in crisis situations’ by designing a
set of best practice guidelines for law enforcement agencies (LEAs), first responders and
citizens for the use of new media.
In pursuing its objectives ATHENA will necessarily create a complex series of legal
relationships: relationships between contributors inter se, between contributors and the
state, and also between contributors and their communications service providers, their
employers, third sector crisis responders, potential litigants in criminal or civil proceed-
ings, news media broadcasters, etc. These relationships will be potentially problematic
unless appropriately identified and catered for right from the start. Further, if there is to
be additional realisation of intellectual property rights within the products and outputs it
will be critical for ATHENA to have addressed all relevant legal issues arising from the
creation of these complex relationships.
ATHENA recognises the existence and importance of legal considerations relating to
privacy and data protection;
2
what follows is intended to assist in that task and the
research that will flow from it. By helping to formulate the requisite ethical and legal
framework required of ATHENA, this article will also aim to provide a useful platform
for discussion of any future initiatives of this type.
206 The Police Journal: Theory, Practice and Principles 91(3)
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