Privacy Commissioner attends Global Privacy Assembly to promote stronger international standards for data protection

Privacy Commissioner attends Global Privacy Assembly to promote stronger international standards for data protection

November 1, 2024

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne joined his international counterparts at the annual Global Privacy Assembly this week to promote stronger protections for personal information as it crosses borders; an imperative in an increasingly digital and data-driven world.

The Global Privacy Assembly's annual conference brings together data protection and privacy authorities from more than 90 countries, as well as industry leaders and other global privacy thought leaders. This year's event focused on a range of important privacy issues, from cross-border data flows to artificial intelligence ethics to privacy education.

During their closed session, the regulators worked to advance efforts to standardize how personal information is shared between countries. In a data-driven world where information flows transcend borders, consistent international standards benefit individuals and businesses. To that end, the members endorsed two resolutions that were co-sponsored by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC):

• A resolution on certification mechanisms which seeks to promote the adoption, and potential streamlining, of robust privacy and data protection standards so that organizations may confidently engage in cross-border data transfers and quickly assess the level of privacy and data protection of products and services.
• A resolution on data free flow with trust and an effective regulation of global data flows that calls on lawmakers, policy makers, and regulators to work towards ensuring that data transfer tools are standardized and interoperable.

In addition, the members passed a resolution related to the protection and preservation of privacy in the use of neurodata and neurotechnologies.

Commissioner Dufresne participated in a panel discussion on accessible and inclusive privacy protection in a digitized world, as well as a session on data minimization.

The Commissioner also led a discussion with fellow signatories of a joint statement on data scraping, a global initiative that outlines expectations for social media companies and other organizations that host publicly accessible personal information.

Earlier in the week, Commissioner Dufresne participated in the annual general meeting of the Association Francophones des Autorités de Protection des Données Personnelles (AFAPDP).

He also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Brazil's data protection authority, the Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados, to facilitate information sharing and collaboration between the two organizations.

Quote

"Establishing strong global data protection standards for information flowing across borders, with privacy as a guiding principle, is essential. Working collaboratively with Global Privacy Assembly counterparts will ensure that the fundamental right to privacy of citizens of all our nations is protected wherever their personal information may travel, while also providing greater consistency for businesses operating around the world."

Philippe Dufresne
Privacy Commissioner of Canada

Related links

• Concluding joint statement on data scraping and the protection of privacy
• Website of the Global Privacy Assembly

Media contact

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
[email protected]

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