“Be water”. This is the evocative and enigmatic phrase of the current mask-wearing protestors in Hong-Kong. It seems to represent the fight of citizens for the right to be shapeless and anonymous among the crowd, including when exercising the right to protest, versus surveillance by the state authorities.
Desde que se hizo pública la noticia del fallecimiento de Giovanni Buttarelli, he recibido más de un centenar de mensajes de condolencias, la mayoría en inglés, pero muchos también en español, desde España y desde Iberoamérica. Por eso, escribo este modesto tributo a su memoria en la lengua de Cervantes, para significar que la comunidad española e iberoamericana de protección también llora su pérdida.
I have lost an older brother.
An older brother is someone you watch, follow, copy and of whom you feel. Whom you want to show you are mature enough, but you know you still need a lot of time to catch up.
The European Data Protection Supervisor has invited three staff members who have recently joined the institution to share their own thoughts on various topics of interest. In this way, the European Data Protection Supervisor wishes to stimulate the exchange of ideas and perspectives in the field of data protection and beyond.
Brain Plugs and the Evolution of Privacy – by Leon Rossmaier
Every group of trainees that comes to work with us at the EDPS organises their own conference on a topic of interest. These events are a platform for the younger generation to share fresh – and sometimes provocative! – ideas. For this conference, the team chose a timely and exciting subject – the potential consequences of technological enhancements to our bodies for human rights and privacy.
It may come as a surprise to some of you, given how fresh-faced and youthful I appear, but it has been some time now since I was at school! Indeed, there was a time when life was a lot less digital, and when the GDPR was just a distant dream. How times have changed!
Building a better understanding of the EU and of data protection issues among citizens starts with young people. I am therefore delighted that this year, for the first time, the EDPS participated in the EU’s Back to School initiative.
Generating and fostering global partnerships in the field of data protection is one of the EDPS’ strategic objectives. That is why we co-organise, on a yearly basis, a workshop dedicated to data protection within international organisations (IOs). The workshop is a forum for the exchange of experiences and views on the most pressing issues in this field faced by IOs all over the world.
The last time our network of DPOs from the EU institutions and bodies met, on 12 December 2018, the GDPR for EUI was only one day old. While the new Regulation is still in its infancy, it is growing up fast, and at the EDPS we are determined to ensure that this process occurs with as few teething problems as possible!
Spring is in full swing – even if the weather is not very consistent! Labour Day has just been and gone, an excellent reminder of historical efforts across the world to build up and defend shared rights, for workers in particular.
Terms of service are generally designed to safeguard a service provider against legal challenges. These terms are not like a memorandum of understanding, trade agreement or a contract established jointly by two more or less equal parties. Rather, they are laid down by the service provider and not open to negotiation. In the EU there are rules protecting the consumer against unfair terms, under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, prohibiting a dominant company in a market from imposing unfair trading conditions.