Island ‘could be at the leading edge of data protection’
GUERNSEY has an opportunity to be at the leading edge of data protection with local law changes and the introduction of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulations in 2018, according to the local data protection commissioner.
Emma Martins, who is due to quit the pan-island role and take up a Guernsey-specific post in the next few weeks, said that reform in this area could ‘underpin and enhance’ the data economy and associated opportunities locally.
‘As a small, nimble jurisdiction we have the chance to be at the vanguard,’ she said.
‘My fear is that we, as a global community, become immune to the importance of retaining autonomy, control and transparency of how our data are used. Nefarious data practices have the capability of influencing our lives in ways unimaginable only a few years ago. We must not allow ourselves to sleepwalk into a world where others control, monetise and weaponise our data.’
Mrs Martins described the forthcoming reforms as ‘one of the most significant in data protection for decades’.
Full story in today's Guernsey Press
