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The Office of the Data Protection Authority has published its annual report for 2019 - the first full year since the Data Protection Law came into effect.
The report looks at the first steps the ODPA is taking towards full independence from the States and the regulatory environment in which it is operating.
Commenting on 2019’s activities, Emma Martins, the Bailiwick’s Data Protection Commissioner, said: “We have seen evidence of a global awakening of the extraordinary scale and impact of personal data processing in this digital area and how it goes to the very core of who and what we are as human beings.
“Against the global backdrop of economic and political uncertainty, we want to ensure that the Bailiwick maintains a high-quality, stable and forward-looking regulatory environment which recognises that innovation and good governance are interdependent.”
The Chair of the Data Protection Authority, Richard Thomas CBE, said data protection "is actually people protection", and lies at the heart of everything.
"In the real world, where personal information has now become incredibly valuable, it protects people’s privacy and it protects them from a wide range of social and economic harms which threaten their well-being. Data protection equally protects organisations. There cannot be any organisation – private, public or voluntary sector – that does not handle personal information. Getting this right for their customers, clients, suppliers, patients, citizens and voters is simply a matter of self-interest."
There are also Bailiwick-specific reasons why data protection matters.
"Soon, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation, the European Commission will decide whether the Bailiwick should keep its ‘Adequacy’ status," explained Mr Thomas. "Loss of that status, which permits the free flows of personal data which underpin the global digital economy, would be devastating for the financial services industry and other parts of the Bailiwick’s economy.
“Of course, the European Commission is scrutinising the 2017 Law to make sure that it closely mirrors GDPR’s provisions. But it is also required to make sure that Guernsey has a genuinely independent supervisory authority that can demonstrate effective functioning.”
The ODPA’s Annual Report for 2019 can be accessed at: odpa.gg/annual-report-2019.
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