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.

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!

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.

Twice a year the EDPS trainees organise an expert discussion on a topical theme related to data protection. Today’s event looks at digital technology and banking. The EDPS has always supported young generations in developing their appetite for knowledge and deepening their involvement in shaping our future. As EDPS, we are proud to act as a platform for sharing knowledge across generations and we believe we will reap the benefits of this intergenerational cooperation in the near future.

I would like to thank Els Kindt for moderating the conference, and to Carl-Christian Buhr, Jérémie Dubois-Lacoste, Farid Aliyev and Philippe de Koster for taking part in our lively panel discussion.

Our guest blogger today is Joseph, one of our trainees involved in organising the conference and provides here an introduction. He and the team should be proud of their efforts.