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Two decades of protecting privacy and data protection to fuel the future

Wojciech Wiewiórowski

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).

Empowering the DPO network to carry data protection compliance in EUIs

Leonardo CERVERA NAVAS

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. 

International cooperation in data protection: not an option, but vital to our tasks

Leonardo CERVERA NAVAS

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.

The EU should uphold its values at its borders: a few words on World Refugee Day

Wojciech Wiewiórowski

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.

Explainable Artificial Intelligence needs Human Intelligence

Leonardo CERVERA NAVAS

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.

Marching together as Europeans

Leonardo CERVERA NAVAS

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.