Blog

The 49th meeting of the EDPS and the European institutions, bodies and agencies’ network of data protection officers (DPO) took place on 4 June 2021.

I am proud that we managed to organise, with the precious help of a number of DPOs from a support group, two rounds of online workshops on different topics of interest for our DPO colleagues. With these online workshops, we try to recreate the interactive and dynamic environment akin to our traditional in-person meetings pre-COVID-19.

Three years ago today, the most fundamental piece of legislation for data protection in the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), entered into application. Today, we take a moment to reflect on what the last three years have had to offer.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the priorities of various actors around the world, both public and private. The health crisis has accelerated the pace of digital transformation and has triggered public debate on the legal measures and technical solutions adopted in response to the pandemic.

The debate has not been limited to traditional data protection and privacy concerns. More fundamental questions have emerged, concerning the rule of law, the legitimacy of ‘emergency measures’ and their practical effects on citizen’s everyday lives.

With their creativity, sense of innovation, teamwork and drive, the EDPS and EDPB trainees produced a podcast entitled “Democratic Societies in the Digital Age”, a three-part series in which they invited experts from wide-ranging professional backgrounds to cover a number of pertinent subjects related to data protection.  

This blogpost, written by EDPS and EDPB trainees, summarises what they have learned from these insightful discussions. 
 

Many might associate the month of October with shorter days and all things spooky. But it should also be known as the month of all things cybersecurity.

European Cybersecurity Month is an annual campaign that takes place across Europe every October. Its aim is to raise awareness of the risks, opportunities and the state of art in the technological infrastructures that surround and support us in our daily life.