Artificial intelligence (AI) is a reality and has woven its way into everyday life: navigation systems, spam filters, weather forecasts to name but a few.
There have been significant advancements in the field of machine learning, a subset of AI. The machines learn due to the complex algorithms that allow them to analyse huge data sets and make predictions using these data. Along with enhancing the machines’ skills, increasing amounts of data are being collected and information on human behaviour are being monitored; all of which present challenges for privacy and data protection.
Speech by Wojciech Wiewiórowski delivered at the 'Digital Health 2020 - EU on the Move' Panel, as part of an event organised by the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union (via video link), Brussels, Belgium
Global Privacy Assembly Closed Session 2020 - At your desk
When: 13-15 October 2020
Where: Online session
The newly renamed Global Privacy Assembly (formerly known as International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners - ICDPPC) took place this year 2020 during the period from October the 13th to October the 15th. This year's event wasn't immune to the COVID-19 pandemic currently occurring. Consequently the place of the event, which initially was planned to be held in Mexico City, had to be changed to a virtual setting, making it the first time that such an occasion was organized online.
Following you can find the resolutions adopted during this year's GPA:
In February 2020, as a part of a wider package of strategic documents, the European Commission published a White Paper on “Artificial Intelligence: A European approach to excellence and trust”.
This Opinion presents the EDPS views on the White Paper as a whole, as well as on certain specific aspects, such as the proposed risk-based approach, the enforcement of AI regulation or the specific requirements for the remote biometric identification (including facial recognition).
The EDPS recommendations in this opinion aim at clarifying and, where necessary, further developing the safeguards and controls with respect to protection of personal data.
On 16 June 2020 the European Data Protection Supervisor adopted Opinion 3/2020 on the European strategy for data. The Strategy has been published by the European Commission on 19 February 2020 and is part of a wider package of strategic documents, including also a Communication on Shaping Europe’s digital future and a White Paper on Artificial Intelligence.
2019 could be described as a year of transition, across Europe and the world. With new legislation on data protection in the EU now in place, the greatest challenge moving into 2020 and beyond is to ensure that this legislation produces the promised results. Awareness of the issues surrounding data protection and privacy, and the importance of protecting these fundamental rights, is at an all-time high and this momentum cannot be allowed to decline.
This Annual Report provides an insight into all EDPS activities in 2019, which was the last year of a five-year EDPS mandate. EDPS activities therefore focused on consolidating the achievements of previous years, assessing the progress made and starting to define priorities for the future.
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