Media Statements
Media Statement - Privacy Commissioner Co-HostsGPEN Enforcement Practitioners Workshop to Strengthen InternationalCollaboration and Experience Sharing in Personal Data Protection
Date: 25 May 2019
Privacy Commissioner Co-Hosts
The office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (PCPD) co-hosted the 3rd GPEN Enforcement Practitioners’ Workshop (Workshop) on 16 and17 May 2019 in Macao. The Workshop was co-organised with the Office for Personal Data Protection (GPDP), Macao as an annual initiative of the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN).
The Workshop, themed on “Collaborate to Take on the New Norm of Data Breaches in the Digital Age”, aimed to bring together experienced investigators and case handlers from data protection authorities and other regulatory bodies around the world to facilitate learning and experience sharing as well as networking so as to empower the authorities to achieve more impactful outcomes of data protection. This year, the workshop attracted 60 delegates from 14 jurisdictions (including those from Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, etc.), as well as experts in consumer protection and from the judiciary and police force.
In the opening remarks, the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong, Mr Stephen Kai-yi WONG, said since the control and use of personal data has become borderless, personal data protection could not be effected through the efforts of a single jurisdiction. Only cross-border/boundary collaboration could keep global personal data authorities abreast of the latest development of the digital technology, as well as trends of privacy enforcement and data breaches. He said, “2018 saw record high numbers of data breach notifications and complaints received by my office, and a more than two-fold increase in the number of compliance checks conducted when compared with the figure in 2010. As many of these data breaches were on a global scale, international collaboration among personal data authorities is more important than ever. This two-day Workshop therefore is a way to share knowledge and experience among the authorities with a view to tackling the new norms in the digital era.”
Mr Ken Yang, Coordinator of the Office for Personal Data Protection (Gabinete para a Protecção de Dados Pessoais), in his speech pointed out that data protection is a worldwide issue, since technological innovation causes erratic challenges to personal data protection, and results in more demanding protection of personal data from the public. Multi-jurisdictional cooperation, therefore, cannot be cut off from these challenges. The Workshop provided a platform for experts to share experience of their own jurisdictions, and helped find better solutions for the challenging environment. International interactions not only will assist the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, but also the smart city infrastructure of Macao, as he noted. The Workshop offered a golden opportunity of expertise exchanges.
This Workshop looked at crucial strategies and techniques in data protection investigation and enforcement with a particular focus on international exchange of skills and practical experiences. Senior operational staff members that have hands-on experience with enforcement or investigations from various data protection authorities delivered presentations and shared their case-handling experience in an interactive approach, covering topics on practical challenges and solutions of mandatory breach notification, strategies and techniques for investigating large-scale breaches, cybersecurity assessment and investigation techniques, strategies to cope with increasing caseload, as well as using compliance audit to promote good practices. The Workshop also provided latest trends and knowledge sharing on GDPR, children privacy and cross-disciplinary collaboration in data protection, consumer protection and competition.
The Greater Bay Area Conference on Personal Data Protection was conducted alongside the Workshop on 16 May, where Mr Wong delivered a presentation titled “Development of Data Protection Landscape with Law Reform and Data Ethics in Asia and Hong Kong”. In the presentation, Mr Wong elaborated the key challenges and regulatory development of different jurisdictions in response to the digital revolution. Echoing his opening remarks, Mr Wong advocated the embracement of ethical accountability principle in corporate governance for gaining stakeholders’ trust by adopting the Ethical Accountability Framework from the “Ethical Accountability Framework for Hong Kong, China” report released by the PCPD in October 2018.
About the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN):
GPEN is a global network of data protection and privacy enforcement authorities dedicated to discussing the practical aspects of law enforcement co-operation and sharing best practices in addressing cross-border challenges. For more information, please visit: https://www.privacyenforcement.net/
Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong, Mr Stephen Kai-yi Wong (left photo) and the Coordinator of the Office for Personal Data Protection, Macao, Mr Ken Chongwei Yang (right photo) deliver opening remarks at the 3rd GPEN Enforcement Practitioners’ Workshop on 16 May 2019.
Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong, Mr Stephen Kai-yi Wong (First row, fourth right) and the Coordinator of the Office for Personal Data Protection, Macao, Mr Ken Chongwei Yang (First row, fifth left) with Workshop participants from worldwide jurisdictions take a group photo.
The Privacy Commissioner Mr Stephen Wong delivers a presentation titled “Development of Data Protection Landscape with Law Reform and Data Ethics in Asia and Hong Kong” at the Greater Bay Area Conference on Personal Data Protection that was held during the 3rd GPEN Enforcement Practitioners’ Workshop.
Privacy Commissioner Co-Hosts
GPEN Enforcement Practitioners’ Workshop to Strengthen International
Collaboration and Experience Sharing in Personal Data Protection
The office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong (PCPD) co-hosted the 3rd GPEN Enforcement Practitioners’ Workshop (Workshop) on 16 and17 May 2019 in Macao. The Workshop was co-organised with the Office for Personal Data Protection (GPDP), Macao as an annual initiative of the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN).
The Workshop, themed on “Collaborate to Take on the New Norm of Data Breaches in the Digital Age”, aimed to bring together experienced investigators and case handlers from data protection authorities and other regulatory bodies around the world to facilitate learning and experience sharing as well as networking so as to empower the authorities to achieve more impactful outcomes of data protection. This year, the workshop attracted 60 delegates from 14 jurisdictions (including those from Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States, etc.), as well as experts in consumer protection and from the judiciary and police force.
In the opening remarks, the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong, Mr Stephen Kai-yi WONG, said since the control and use of personal data has become borderless, personal data protection could not be effected through the efforts of a single jurisdiction. Only cross-border/boundary collaboration could keep global personal data authorities abreast of the latest development of the digital technology, as well as trends of privacy enforcement and data breaches. He said, “2018 saw record high numbers of data breach notifications and complaints received by my office, and a more than two-fold increase in the number of compliance checks conducted when compared with the figure in 2010. As many of these data breaches were on a global scale, international collaboration among personal data authorities is more important than ever. This two-day Workshop therefore is a way to share knowledge and experience among the authorities with a view to tackling the new norms in the digital era.”
Mr Ken Yang, Coordinator of the Office for Personal Data Protection (Gabinete para a Protecção de Dados Pessoais), in his speech pointed out that data protection is a worldwide issue, since technological innovation causes erratic challenges to personal data protection, and results in more demanding protection of personal data from the public. Multi-jurisdictional cooperation, therefore, cannot be cut off from these challenges. The Workshop provided a platform for experts to share experience of their own jurisdictions, and helped find better solutions for the challenging environment. International interactions not only will assist the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, but also the smart city infrastructure of Macao, as he noted. The Workshop offered a golden opportunity of expertise exchanges.
This Workshop looked at crucial strategies and techniques in data protection investigation and enforcement with a particular focus on international exchange of skills and practical experiences. Senior operational staff members that have hands-on experience with enforcement or investigations from various data protection authorities delivered presentations and shared their case-handling experience in an interactive approach, covering topics on practical challenges and solutions of mandatory breach notification, strategies and techniques for investigating large-scale breaches, cybersecurity assessment and investigation techniques, strategies to cope with increasing caseload, as well as using compliance audit to promote good practices. The Workshop also provided latest trends and knowledge sharing on GDPR, children privacy and cross-disciplinary collaboration in data protection, consumer protection and competition.
The Greater Bay Area Conference on Personal Data Protection was conducted alongside the Workshop on 16 May, where Mr Wong delivered a presentation titled “Development of Data Protection Landscape with Law Reform and Data Ethics in Asia and Hong Kong”. In the presentation, Mr Wong elaborated the key challenges and regulatory development of different jurisdictions in response to the digital revolution. Echoing his opening remarks, Mr Wong advocated the embracement of ethical accountability principle in corporate governance for gaining stakeholders’ trust by adopting the Ethical Accountability Framework from the “Ethical Accountability Framework for Hong Kong, China” report released by the PCPD in October 2018.
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About the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN):
GPEN is a global network of data protection and privacy enforcement authorities dedicated to discussing the practical aspects of law enforcement co-operation and sharing best practices in addressing cross-border challenges. For more information, please visit: https://www.privacyenforcement.net/
Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong, Mr Stephen Kai-yi Wong (left photo) and the Coordinator of the Office for Personal Data Protection, Macao, Mr Ken Chongwei Yang (right photo) deliver opening remarks at the 3rd GPEN Enforcement Practitioners’ Workshop on 16 May 2019.
Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Hong Kong, Mr Stephen Kai-yi Wong (First row, fourth right) and the Coordinator of the Office for Personal Data Protection, Macao, Mr Ken Chongwei Yang (First row, fifth left) with Workshop participants from worldwide jurisdictions take a group photo.
The Privacy Commissioner Mr Stephen Wong delivers a presentation titled “Development of Data Protection Landscape with Law Reform and Data Ethics in Asia and Hong Kong” at the Greater Bay Area Conference on Personal Data Protection that was held during the 3rd GPEN Enforcement Practitioners’ Workshop.