British, Irish, and Islands Data Protection Authorities (BIIDPA) held their 2021 annual meeting

From 24th-25th June 2021, the IDPC attended the network of British, Irish, and Islands Data Protection Authorities (BIIDPA) held their 2021 annual meeting, consisting of two part-days of high-level, virtual discussions hosted by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Bermuda (PrivCom).

The group of supervisory authorities identified common trends and priorities in their respective countries, such as oversight of financial services organisations, the protection of children’s personal information, complaints surrounding closed circuit television and facial recognition, and the importance of international cooperation.

Sessions focused on best practices in multi-jurisdiction enforcement actions (moderated by the United Kingdom (UK) Information Commissioner’s Office), co-operation with counterparts in financial regulation, and technology and developments on the horizon (such as digital identity and cryptocurrencies).

Attendees marked the recent and upcoming departures of Commissioners Saviour Cachia (Malta), Paul Canessa (Gibraltar), Elizabeth Denham (UK), and Jay Fedorak (Jersey), and offered a welcome to newly appointed Commissioners Ian Deguara (Malta) and Paul Vane (Jersey).

BIIDPA is an informal regional network of privacy commissioners that meets annually, with open collaboration throughout the year. Its membership includes the data protection authorities of Bermuda, Cayman, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Malta, and the UK.

The IDPC had the opportunity to share national updates, general figures regarding the past year, and action taken on certain topics such as the COVID-19 pandemic and on a GDPR awareness campaign. 

Article by IDPC, 2nd July 2021