The Information and Data Protection Commissioner Ian Deguara as well as legal counsel Sasha Muscat this week participated in the British, Irish and Islands Data Protection Authorities (BIIDPA) annual meeting, which was hosted by the Bailiwick of Guernsey’s Office of the Data Protection Authority (ODPA).

BIIDPA brings together data protection authorities whose separate regulatory regimes have close affinities. It aims to promote practical supervisory consistency, advancing and protecting data rights of people and enabling responsible innovation, both within and across their jurisdictions.      

The meeting was attended by BIIDPA data protection authorities from Bermuda, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey, Malta and the United Kingdom.  

BIIDPA was officially opened with an address by Guernsey's Lieutenant Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Richard Cripwell, KBE CB, followed by opening remarks from Guernsey Data Protection Commissioner Brent Homan. 

Over the two days of meetings, BIIDPA delegates exchanged ideas, experiences and strategies, about the following data protection issues, common across jurisdictions:

• The promotion and protection of children’s privacy rights
• Leveraging international cooperation to expand our collective capacity to promote and protect data rights
• How tech innovation can only succeed and endure when driven by strong data protection practices
• The importance of Data Protection in supporting healthy and progressive global financial sector jurisdictions
• How modern enforcement approaches must take many forms to be proportionate, expedient and effective in protecting data rights

This opportunity to understand others’ activities allows delegates to bring back to their jurisdictions successful strategies that can be built into their processes to the benefit of their regulated communities and citizens alike.

Delegates also provided updates of key accomplishments, challenges and events in each of their jurisdictions.  Meetings were concluded with closing remarks from Commissioner Homan.  

BIIDPA Guernsey 2025 attendees:

• The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Bermuda
• The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority
• Office of the Data Protection Authority, the Bailiwick of Guernsey
• Ireland’s Data Protection Commission
• The Information Commissioner for the Isle of Man
• The Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner
• The Information and Data Protection Commissioner for Malta
• The Information Commissioner’s Office for the United Kingdom

A big thanks goes to the ODPA for organising this event.