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Exemptions to registration with the Office of the Data Protection Authority have been extended until January 2021, as the authority works with the States to come up with a self-funded model.
Anyone who is currently exempt from the legal requirement to register with the Office of the Data Protection Authority (ODPA) will now continue to be exempt until January 2021.
This means that any local entity (such as small businesses and sole traders) who currently meet the exemption criteria will not need to register with the ODPA until the beginning of 2021.
From 01 January 2021 all exemptions to registering with the ODPA will end, and any local entity doing anything with personal data will be legally obliged to register with the ODPA and pay a small annual fee that will contribute towards the ODPA’s operational costs.
As an independent regulator, the Bailiwick’s Data Protection Commissioner, Emma Martins, said they must be financially independent.
It is working with the States of Guernsey towards agreeing a self-funding model which meets its operational costs mostly from annual fees paid by registered entities, rather than taxpayers, although it has taken longer than expected to date.
"For the past year we have been working hard to try to reach agreement with the States of Guernsey on how the ODPA’s operational activities are funded," she said. "Above all else, we want to ensure that we agree on a fair, low-cost, low-admin model that allows local businesses to concentrate their efforts on running their businesses well, rather than filling in bureaucratic forms. We continue to pursue that goal."
Pictured top: Emma Martins.
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