My name is Olivia: How old am I?
A world in which we guessed someone's age based on their name alone would be a world riddled with inaccuracy and perhaps even embarrassment. But that is just what happened in Lower Saxony, Germany, where authorities guessed the age of patients eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine based on their first name.
The relevant authorities claimed that data protection legislation prevented them from accessing official patient records when inviting patients for their Covid-19 vaccine. In place of these official records, the authorities used post office records instead. This resulted in officials using people’s first names to estimate their ages, in the hope they would reach the over-80s that were considered the top priority.
It’s no surprise that the State Commissioner for Data Protection in Lower Saxony quickly issued a statement to make it clear that data protection law does not pose any obstacle to accessing registration data in order to send vaccination information to citizens. Far better that than risking infringing the principle that personal data processed should be accurate and suitable for its purpose.
