The problem with legislation and regulation is that it all to easily to become a habit.

Computing last week highlighted the large number of, sometimes contradictory, laws and standards on data that will affect IT professionals over the coming years.

And that's before the European Union gets its teeth really stuck in.

Laws will beget laws and regulation, regulation. Plan your strategies now.

The balance between privacy and transparency will soon become a political obsession and lawyers are already licking their lips in anticipation.

It's not an issue in which there are easy answers.

Those who will most vigorously oppose the extension of 'snooping' powers and the 'Big Brother' state, are likely to also be in favour of tougher scrutiny and forced transparency of multinational businesses.

Those who deplore the 'strait-jacket' of red tape and legislation imposed on companies, may well be those talking toughest on the need for a 'War on Terror.'

What is needed is a national - indeed international - debate about finding the right balance between privacy and convenience, openness and security.

What we get, of course, is events.

The current regulatory mess shows is only that the desire for coherent data policies have been overtaken by events - terrorism, corporate scandals, hacking etc.

But that does not preclude a period of review, reflection and consultation to bring some logic to bear.

It's a necessary discussion for business and therefore vital for IT. Right at the heart of these discussions about data should be technology.

Discussions about security and privacy are, in truth, about data.

Management of the endlessly growing raw material of data, the bits and bytes, is a technical issue - security, storage, datamining etc.

It will define the next stage of the evolution of IT.

More specifically, the transformation of data into information, useable knowledge for the business, will be the defining role of technology in the workplace.