Keynote speech at European Data Protection Days
Personal data protection is a fundamental right in the European Union; it is part of the European DNA and deserves the highest protection standards. Every year on 28 January, the European Commission celebrates European Data Protection day. 2016 was a historical year for data protection in the EU. The EU agreed on a data protection reform that will help stimulate the Digital Single Market in the EU by fostering consumer trust in online services and by providing legal certainty for businesses based on clear and uniform rules. The European Commission is now working to ensure that the rules work in practice. The reform of data protection rules was finalised in April 2016 and the new rules will apply as of May 2018. Giovanni Buttarelli held the keynote speech yesterday (16.05.2017) saying that the world-wide ransomware assault of few days ago has already crippled more than 200.000 victims in at least 150 countries. Cybersecurity, privacy and security challenges are growing around the world. It is therefore a high time where the world of data protection is looking forward to provide more security and restore trust by setting world-wide standards, also with accountability.
See the full speech here