Blog

It’s happening. The EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act is entering into force in the coming weeks. 

AI tools have potential, bringing new opportunities and enhancing productivity across a variety of sectors and fields, such as healthcare, sustainability, scientific research, private companies, public organisations, including the EU institutions. But, AI tools also present risks; if misused, vulnerable people may be exploited, for example. 

20 years ago, on 17 January 2004, the EDPS set out on its mission to build an independent authority that protects people’s fundamental rights to privacy and data protection.

Since then, the way personal data is processed and the digital landscape as a whole have considerably evolved. The EDPS too has changed. As an institution, we have become stronger, bolder, with one constant drive: our appetite and ambition to protect people, to influence and steer the development of data protection and its governing rules across the European Union (EU).

The EDPS and the Data Protection Officers' (DPO) network of the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies (EUIs) met for the second time this year on 30 November 2023, kindly and efficiently hosted by the European Parliament in Strasbourg. A symbolic venue - where the Council of Europe was born to promote democracy, human rights, and the rule of law - for an emblematic meeting. 

Last week, on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 October, I had the pleasure, once again, to co-organise the annual International Organisations Workshop dedicated to data protection.

With 24 % of cyber threats affecting the public sector, it is not just necessary to raise awareness about cybersecurity for the protection of our organisations and values, but also to unite as EU institutions to protect individuals.

This week, the EDPS Supervisor, Wojciech Wiewiórowski, and I had the pleasure to attend a high-level event titled "Data-protection in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership Region", arranged by the SIGMA Programme; the Eastern Partnership Regional Fund for Public Administration; the Regional Cooperation Council and the Regional School of Public Administration.

Today marks World Refugee Day. Since 2001, we pay respect to the courage of refugees from all around the world that have had to flee their countries to escape war, persecutions and other disasters. I would therefore like to share a few observations on the EU’s obligation to ensure that fundamental rights are upheld for those reaching the borders of the EU.

Modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) models often work as opaque decision-making engines (black boxes); reaching conclusions without much transparency or explanations on how a given result is obtained. In an era where AI has become an integral part of our lives, where recruiters, healthcare providers, and other fields, rely on this tool to make decisions impacting individuals, understanding the way AI works is essential.

The 52nd meeting between the EDPS and the Data Protection Officers (DPO) network of the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies (EUIs) took place on 12 May 2023, hosted by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), in Alicante.

Human beings are fascinated by technology. Think of the fascination we all feel, no matter our race or geographical location, when we see a fire in front of us. As this was probably the first big innovation of humankind that allowed our ancestors to cook and keep warm during the cold winter nights.This fascination has been deeply encoded into our DNA as Homo sapiens.