28 JANUARY 2021- AZOP CELEBRATES DATA PROTECTION DAY
Conference Digital transformation and data protection in a pandemic world 28 January 2021, 10:00-13:30
BROADCAST LINK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_rmxGpcFxA&feature=youtu.be
We are delighted and proud to announce that in the first part of the conference keynote speeches will give European Data Protection Supervisor, Mr Wojciech Wiewiórowski, Croatian high government officials and other prominent data protection experts.
The first part of the conference will be focused on micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. For all of us 2020 has been a year to remember and has been particularly challenging for SMEs. The coronavirus outbreak is the largest public health crisis in living memory. It has also generated a major economic crisis and disrupted every aspect of social and business activity across the globe, jeopardizing about half of the world’s economic, and has especially affected small and medium enterprises.
The Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency gave special attention to this target group in 2020 by supporting SMEs in the alignment of their business processes with the General Data Protection Regulation by conducting online workshops tailored-made to their specific needs. To support SMEs in specific and difficult market conditions caused by the global pandemic, the Agency, together with the Croatian Chamber of Economy and in the partnership with the Data Protection Commission Ireland and Vrije University Bruxelles, is implementing the EU project ARC: Awareness Raising Campaign for SMEs on personal data protection, co-financed by the European Union, Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme.
During the global pandemic, data protection and digital transformation have become key factors for their survival on the market. Small and medium-sized enterprises must address more proactively challenges, and develop a comprehensive strategy for digital business transformation in order to respond to the current crisis.
Also, in this context, we would like to point out that the General Data Protection Regulation is a comprehensive legislative act based on the accountability and reinforcement of users’ trust in digital services as a key to the development of the digital economy in the single internal market. The General Data Protection Regulation also prescribes the rules applicable to the processing of personal data in circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which allow an effective response to the pandemic while protecting fundamental rights and freedoms.
In the second part of the conference we are expecting intriguing and eye-opening panel discussion entitled Beyond COVID-19: Current and Future Development hosted by Assist. Prof. Tihomir Katulić, PhD.
The panelists will be: European Data Protection Supervisor, Mr Wojciech Wiewiórowski, Mr Igor Vulje, Deputy director (Croatian Personal Data Protection Agency), Ms MB Donnelly, Assistant Commissioner (Data Protection Commission Ireland), Mr Juraj Sajfert (Vrije University Bruxelles), Mr Patricio Marcos Petrić (Infobip), Mr Igor Barlek (GDPR CROATIA), Ms Kristina Posavec, Central Office for the Development of the Digital Society, Mr Gordan Brdar, Senior Security and Privacy Expert and Ms Dženet Garibović (PwC).
As COVID-19 crisis slowly unfolds to its long-awaited, vaccine mediated conclusion, we can return to pressing data protection issues. The commodization of personal data continues, and recent developments, such as the invalidation of Privacy Shield in July by the European Court of Justice has a profound impact on digital service development and market conditions.
At the same time, the EU is developing legislation to address the developing situation in digital communications, media business and future technology development. These issues include the development of regulatory frameworks for large internet (media) platforms, research and use of artificial intelligence and ongoing digitalisation efforts. The European economy and public sector are undergoing through structural changes, maybe the most powerful and influental since the advent of the Internet.
