As the 40th ICDPPC Annual Meeting is coming to an end, the Closed Session, which gathered this year 236 delegates from 76 countries, has released the outcome of its two-day discussions, paving the way for the future of data protection and privacy at global. On this occasion, the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (ICDPPC) has welcome 4 new member authorities and 11 new observer organisations.
A roadmap on the future of the Conference, setting the basis for a more permanent and vocal international organisation advancing privacy and data protection.
The ICDPPC has decided to set a new horizon, beyond the mere organization of an annual conference. The member authorities have adopted a roadmap for the future of the International Conference, with the aim of gradually transforming it into a permanent, more visible, more operational organization for its members. Plans for the establishment of a stable and funded secretariat are to be presented at the next Closed session meeting in 2019.
As part of the roadmap on its future, the International Conference notably considered the setting up of a consultation platform or “contact group”, involving all relevant external stakeholders, in particular civil society organizations, in order to facilitate dialogue and exchanges on the ICDPPC activities and preparation of annual meetings.
Addressing the ICDPPC Open Session this morning, Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, Chair of the ICDPPC Executive Committee declared: “What is set in motion is the movement towards the establishment of a true international organization for data protection and privacy, which can bring our vision into the major global debates that are taking place. This is a major achievement for our organization, which has been prepared for many months through a consultation of almost all of our members. It is also a signal for the world around us: data protection is a central and operational issue in the global digital world being built and the authorities will play their role, that of an ethical and democratic stabilizer of our society.”
Declaration on ethics and data protection in artificial intelligence
The Closed session also adopted a landmark text, the ICDPPC Declaration a Declaration on ethics and data protection in artificial intelligence, in order to contribute to the global discussion on this matter. The declaration endorses six guiding principles, as core values to preserve human rights in the development of artificial intelligence. These principles first of all build upon data protection elements, but also expand to ethical considerations which are inextricably linked to the development of artificial intelligence.
The Declaration also calls for common governance principles on artificial intelligence to be established at international level. Such common governance must be able to tackle the challenges raised by the rapid evolutions of artificial intelligence technologies, on the basis of a multi-stakeholder approach in order to address all cross-sectoral issues at stake. In this regard, the text adopted will shortly be open for public consultation.
Other adopted resolutions
Following a report back from the ICDPPC thematic Working Groups, the Closed session adopted three other resolutions on e-learning platforms, on the Conference Census and on collaboration between Data Protection Authorities and Consumer Protection Authorities.
Second edition of the ICDPPC Global Privacy and Data Protection Awards
ICDPPC Members had submitted 56 projects competing for the ICDPPC Global Privacy and Data Protection Awards 2018, available here. Winners have been announced at the beginning of the week with the “Public Awareness and Education” Award going to Albania (IDP) for its postal stamps, the “Innovation” and “Accountability” Awards going to France (CNIL) for its PIA software, and finally the “Dispute Resolution and Enforcement” Award to the United Kingdom (ICO) for the ICO’s investigation into use of data analytics and micro targeting for political purposes.
Leadership transition
Two new members of the ICDPPC Executive Committee have been elected: the Philippines’ National Privacy Commission (NPC) and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). With the mandate of Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin coming to an end, the ICDPPC has elected Elizabeth Denham, the UK Information Commissioner (ICO) as new Chair of the Executive Committee.
See you next time!
The Closed session ended up with a presentation of the next annual meeting which will take place in 2019 in Tirana, Albania, hosted by the Office of Information and Data Protection Commissioner (IDP). The ICDPPC Closed session also formally announced that the Mexican National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Personal Data Protection (INAI) will be the hosting authority for the 2020 Annual Meeting, to be held in Mexico.