A new generation of data protection standards is being promulgated by the European Union. Almost one year ago, the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Directive for the police and justice sectors represented the most ambitious endeavour of the EU legislator so far to secure the fundamental rights of the individual in the digital era.

If you believe the words sometimes attributed to Gandhi, law is codified ethics. But effective laws and standards of ethics are guidelines accepted by members of a society, and these require a social consensus. I believe that technology is changing or at the very least influencing our ethics and it’s a phenomenon we need to urgently address.

The ancient city of Marrakech was founded by the Almoravid dynasty at the beginning of the 11th century, as a centre for trade and craftsmanship. One century later, another mythical city, Timbuktu, was founded for similar reasons, in what is now known as the sub-Saharan state of Mali. As the location of the 38th International Privacy Conference, Marrakech aimed to set a precedent once again, this time through opening up the doors to privacy beyond the western world. The Conference took place from 17-20 October this year and the EDPS once again played an active part.