Information Commissioner's Office
 Printable version
|
ICO welcomes regulators from across Europe
The Information Commissioner has today called for a more practical approach to data protection regulation, insisting regulators must not get left behind as technology changes how personal information is used.
Christopher Graham was speaking as he hosted the European Conference of Data Protection Authorities in Manchester, welcoming representatives from around 90 data regulators and international bodies.
“The digital revolution has implications for every aspect of our lives – as citizens, as consumers, as individuals. We communicate. We consume. We transact. And, unless we are very alert, we are also tracked. Shopping in the supermarket or online, our purchasing habits are recorded and analysed. We live in a world of Big Data and the Internet of Things.
“Governments too have gone digital, keen to find efficiencies in the delivery of joined up public services. And now there’s the security dimension, with politicians claiming that public safety is an absolute right, while privacy is a right that may need to be qualified.
“And that’s where we need to get practical. Because the challenges are to how we do things, not what we are there for. If we want to be effective doing what we do, we are going to have to learn to do some things differently.”
Christopher Graham went on to discuss the potential impact of a reformed EU data protection regulation, the role of international co-operation and the importance of properly funding regulation. His full speech can be read here.
He also highlighted research commissioned by the ICO that looked at what control and security UK internet users expected when providing their data. The results of that research, together with a paper pulling together the findings of recent similar studies across Europe, have also been published today.
The Conference of European Data Protection Authorities was first held in The Hague in December 1991, and has been held annually since. The ICO last hosted the Conference in Edinburgh in 2009, while there was also a European Conference in London in 2006. A conference resolution, likely to focus on greater operational cooperation between members, will be published later this week.
If you need more information, please contact the ICO press office on 0303 123 9070 or visit the website at: www.ico.org.uk.
Notes to Editors
- The Information Commissioner’s Office upholds information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.
- The ICO has specific responsibilities set out in the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Environmental Information Regulations 2004 and Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.
- The ICO is on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Read more in the ICO blogand e-newsletter.Our Press Office page provides more information for journalists.
- Anyone who processes personal information must comply with eight principles of the Data Protection Act, which make sure that personal information is:
- Fairly and lawfully processed
- Processed for limited purposes
- Adequate, relevant and not excessive
- Accurate and up to date
- Not kept for longer than is necessary
- Processed in line with your rights
- Secure
- Not transferred to other countries without adequate protection
