EDPS Annual Report: adaptability in a changing world

Presenting his Annual Report 2023 today, European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) Wojciech Wiewiórowski emphasised his institution’s adaptability in the face of an evolving digital and regulatory landscape. 

Wojciech Wiewiórowski, EDPS, said: “The year 2023 has been one of adaptability in light of digital and regulatory advancements. More than ever, multilateral and cross-border collaboration have proved crucial to achieve and elevate data protection standards in the EU and beyond. As we move to 2024, coinciding with the EDPS’ 20th Anniversary, my institution’s role is to anticipate and prepare for the data protection challenges of the next two decades”. 

Speaking before the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee and at his Press Conference today, Supervisor Wojciech Wiewiórowski detailed his actions demonstrating this important skill. 

In response to the accelerated development and mainstream use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), the EDPS steered its regulation, such as the AI Act, by providing the EU co-legislators with appropriate and prompt advice to ensure that this tool follows a human-centric approach, complying with the fundamental rights to privacy and data protection. Aiming for global data protection standards that mirror the EU’s data protection values and principles, the EDPS also championed a number of initiatives in the field of AI, such as leading the 45th Global Privacy Assembly Resolution on Generative Artificial Intelligence Systems. 

Advocating for the safety and privacy of digital communications, the EDPS continued to warn the public and the EU’s co-legislators of the risks and significant shortcomings of the proposed Regulation on Child Sexual Abuse Material, which plans for the scanning of communication on a large scale that may lead to the surveillance of society in an irrevocable way.  

Using its role and powers as the data protection authority of the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies, the EDPS addressed other societal matters, in particular in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice. Firmly believing in protecting the privacy of the most vulnerable, who are at higher risks of being profoundly impacted if their personal information is mishandled, we inspected the processing of personal data of the people entering the borders of the European Union, carried out by Frontex in Lesbos, Greece.

Looking ahead, the EDPS has invested resources in technology monitoring and innovation, by anticipating the data protection implications of certain technologies to direct their development in a privacy-orientated way, and by building and encouraging the use of IT services that put into practice the EU’s data protection precepts.

As the EDPS celebrates its 20th anniversary of existence in 2024, Supervisor Wojciech Wiewiórowski is taking this milestone as an opportunity to reflect on the past, present and future correlations between data protection, technology, policy and other fields to tackle the next 20 years of challenges.