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Come join an international conference on data protection in the EU capped off with a debate between various stakeholders. It promises to be a fantastic event.

Participation costs 50€. Students can register at half price (25€), if they can provide a copy of their student card. To register, please send an e-mail to [email protected] (with copy of student card for those who want to benefit from the student rate) and transfer the registration fee before 1 October 2016 to the account of the National Archives, rue de Ruysbroeck 2, 1000 Brussels, BE32 679200780502 – BIC PCHQBEBB, mentioning your name and ‘Congress 10/10’.

Americans are increasingly familiar with drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). These devices have become one of consumers’ most popular technology purchases; some estimate nearly one million new drones will be purchased in 2016. Many consumer drones are controlled by tablet or smartphone, and feature high-definition cameras, GPS, and the ability to fly autonomously. Commercially available drones are even more sophisticated, and are increasingly used for a variety of activities, including monitoring and inspection, news reporting, search and rescue of missing persons, and delivery of commercial packages or medicine to rural areas. With potential to transform entire industries, the devices may generate significant economic benefits. Although drones may offer society numerous benefits, the potential for information collection through filming, photography or other types of monitoring raises the potential for consumer harms including invasion of privacy, identification, trespass, and harassment. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is currently convening multi-stakeholder meetings to develop and communicate best practices for privacy, accountability, and transparency issues regarding commercial and private drone use. We expect these meetings will provide important input for the Commission’s event. The drones workshop will explore the following questions related to commercial uses of drones:

What are the uses and consumer benefits of drones for consumers today?

Where is drone technology headed?

What are the unique privacy and security concerns associated with drone technologies and the data collected from them?

How are these concerns currently being addressed by businesses, self-regulatory efforts, and foreign regulators?

Is there a need for further guidance?

The European Privacy Association (EPA) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) webinars will be held throughout the year and are aimed at all professionals interested in the regulation of data protection. Each webinar will be chaired by Dr. Paolo Balboni, President and Noriswadi Ismail, Scientific Director and members of our Scientific Committee and will last for 60 minutes, ending with a Q&A session.The webinars will focus on compliance, governance, business controls and operational aspects in relation to the forthcoming GDPR relevant for all companies doing business in Europe. The GDPR debate and discussion have dominated the European marketplace for the past 4 years. Organisations and stakeholders have 2 years to operationalise their GDPR readiness programme to avoid non-compliance enforcement actions from national Data Protection Authorities.NB: If you weren’t able to sign up before the first webinar it is still possible to sign up for the series. In compensation you will receive a detailed summary of the April 20th presentation.

The price of attendance for the remaining webinars is €670.00 (excluding VAT)
Fellows receive a special discount of 50% for a total of €350.00 (excluding VAT) for all remaining webinars

To become Fellow of EPA it is necessary to send your CV to info [@]europeanprivacyassociation. eu and subject to a positive EPA Board evaluation of your profile, you will need to contribute to EPA.  Fellow annual supportership is €100.00 (excluding VAT).
If you would like to know more about the benefits of becoming a Fellow please contact us.

– All webinars will be recorded in case you cannot attend and have paid for the package –

Feel free to contact us for further information.

Please RSVP to webinar [@] europeanprivacyassociation.eu

From criminal justice to consumer credit to the job market and beyond, opaque computer systems make life altering decisions every day.

The White House has recognized that these new systems pose a risk to civil rights and has identified key challenges: How can we harness data in a way that improves society without reinforcing the histories of bias and discrimination that are often reflected in such data? What’s the right way to measure the impact of algorithms that are increasingly shaping our behavior and decisions, and that we don’t fully understand?

In her new book, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, data scientist and activist Cathy O’Neil shows how statistical models can bring an imprimatur of objectivity to decisions that often remain all too human.

In conversation with David Robinson, Cathy will describe the challenges introduced by these “weapons of math destruction” and what we can do to address them. A panel of experts will then respond, offering a range of perspectives on Cathy’s book and the issues it raises.

A live webcast is also available.

Learn about crisis communication in case of a data breach. And get the latest about plain language privacy notices.

For many years since the European Data Protection Directive was implemented across Europe in 1998, data privacy was seen as an issue that mainly concerned what companies did with personal data behind the scenes. However, since the famous “Right To Be Forgotten” Spanish case of Costeja v Google, much of the focus has shifted to the impact of data privacy laws in relation to media content published online. Google was found to be subject to European data privacy law and since then European claimant lawyers and reputation managers have been using data privacy laws to secure the removal of content on the internet. This is in stark contrast to US laws which provide strong protection for internet intermediaries through s.230 of the CDA.

As companies such as Google, Facebook and Twitter are increasingly the conduits that deliver our news, especially to mobile, a debate is raging in Europe and beyond as to whether a correct balance has been struck between free speech and the ability of internet intermediaries to innovate on the one hand and the right of individuals to protect their privacy and reputations on the other hand.

Ashley Hurst and Emily Jones from Osborne Clarke will be discussing how the GDPR, due to be implemented in May 2018, will impact this debate and the impact of Brexit for the UK and the rest of Europe.

There has been a drastic acceleration in information technology from the development of writing to smart pacemakers. Thousands of years elapsed between the invention of writing on clay tablets and the shift to papyrus. Today, hours elapse between new innovations in technologies and business practices. Rapid innovation creates substantial benefits for individuals and society when data is handled responsibly and organizations act with accountability.  Internal controls and external oversight and enforcement need to keep up with the pace of innovation.

Companies and organizations must ensure data practices are lawful.  Leading companies routinely grapple with additional questions about whether data use is responsible and fair.  Join us for a discussion of about the future of accountability and data governance with experts from the public and private sectors.

Official Side Event to the 38th International Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners Conference.

This year we will be “Celebrating Consumer Champions” at Consumer Action’s Annual Awards Reception, marking our 45th anniversary. This year’s event brings much deserved attention to the efforts of dedicated and committed advocates who, through their leadership, have forged significant change for consumers. Our 2016 honorees exemplify this theme: Their efforts have benefited hundreds of thousands of consumers, if not more, by enforcing laws, informing people of changes in the marketplace and fighting for improved consumer protections. Our awardees are true “Consumer Champions”!

Please join us on Oct. 18 in Washington, DC to mark Consumer Action’s tradition of working in partnership with all marketplace participants and to honor our 2016 Consumer Excellence awardees:

• Ken Harney, author of “The Nation’s Housing” column, syndicated by The Washington Post Writers Group and carried by newspapers nationwide;
• National Fair Housing Alliance, the only national organization dedicated solely to ending housing discrimination; and
• Richard Cordray, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who has led the Bureau’s educational, supervisory and enforcement efforts since 2012.