On 28 JANUARY 2009 the 3rd European DATA PROTECTION DAY is organised throughout Europe. It is an initiative of the Council of Europe with the support of the European Commission The aim of the Data Protection Day is to give European citizens the chance to understand what personal data is collected and processed about them and why, and what their rights are with respect to this processing. They should also be made aware of the risks inherent and associated with the illegal mishandling and unfair processing of their personal data.
The objective of the Data Protection Day is to inform and educate the public at large as to their day-to-day rights, but it may also provide data protection professionals with the opportunity of meeting data subjects. On the website of the Council of Europe there is a call to organise events all over Europe to raise awareness on data protection and inform citizens of their rights and of good practices, thereby enabling them to exercise these rights more effectively.
CDPD has taken up this task and organised a large public event on Friday 16th, in Brussels. Being ourselves dull academics we asked a team of creative people to put together a Pecha Kucha (a public debate formula sweeping through the world landscape as an ideal format for the citizens of today’s world to discuss and interact). We invited artists, intellectuals, policy makers, designers and even some academics to take the floor. A DJ will check our privacy vibes afterward and I am already checking out my moves and fashionable shoes.
I do not know who is precisely behind the European data protection days, but I would love it to be informed about the precise date a bit earlier. There is no problem in moving CDPD 2010 from the third week of January to the fourth week of January.
Paul De Hert
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Dear members Dr. Paul De Hert
As you mentioned it, on January 28, 2009 many countries in Europe will be celebrating International Data Protection Day. The Council of Europe, with the support of the European Commission, created this important day three years ago. Due to its significance, governments from the United States and Canada, as well as private sector organizations from different countries, have joined this effort.
We would like to propose to the privacy, civil liberties, not for profit and consumer community as well as all Internet users from Latin America, Asia, Australia, North America and Europe to join together to promote January 28 - International Privacy Day - as an important date, and to focus the debate on “real problems” and “real solutions”.
The reality is that there is very little what consumers can do today to protect their personal information and, if we are to develop meaningful solutions that address the real problems associated with the collection
and use of personal information, the focus must necessarily be on those organization -- industry and governments -- in control of the data concerning our private lives. The key point is to motivate people to action -- not just checking their privacy settings, shredding old bank statements or installing a browser extension, but to raise awareness of why meaningful regulation of privacy and enforcement of *privacy rights* are key for the protection of our ability to control our own personal information.
It would be great to hear your opinions and develop a consensus document where we could “call the attention of governments and the private sector” regarding the issues that most matter to us as well as to explain to all Internet users the importance of this meaningful solutions.
Each of us also needs to raise awareness through our own channels of communications. We would like to hear your opinions and we hope each of you will TAKE ACTION and raise awareness about International Privacy Day.
Katitza Rodriguez
The Public Voice
http://www.thepublicvoice.org
Lillie Coney
The Privacy Coalition
http://www.privacycoalition.org
With increases in online data phising, identity theft and other ways of illegally obtaining an individuals confidential data, days and events like this are great in promoting Data Shredding and data protection awareness, especially when many of us do not do enough to address this rising issue.
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