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ITAC Contributions

OECD topic: OECD Privacy Guidelines

Recent work from the OECD has focused on a project to review the OECD Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal Data (URL), which were adopted in 1980. Several elements are part of this project:

The Evolving Privacy Landscape: 30 Years after the OECD Privacy Guidelines

ITAC provided detailed comments on this document which serves as a first step in the proposal to review the OECD Privacy Guidelines. The report looks back at the success of the Privacy Guidelines and identifies some of today’s key challenges for protecting privacy under existing approaches, as well as covering a few current and innovative approaches to privacy. There is a particular focus on the impact of the Internet and other technologies on this issue. This document was declassified in April 2011 (URL).

Participation to 30th Anniversary Events

The OECD has celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the OECD Privacy Guidelines by organizing three Anniversary Events in 2010:

  • Roundtable on the Impact of the Privacy Guidelines (10 March 2010 in Paris).
  • Conference on the Evolving Role of the Individual in Privacy Protection (25-26 October 2010 in Jerusalem, Israel): ITAC spoke at this event and brought a technical perspective to the discussion on how to foster innovation in privacy protection.
  • Roundtable on the Economic Dimensions of Personal Data and Privacy (1 December 2010 in Paris).

Questionnaire on the review of the Privacy Guidelines

This questionnaire [DSTI/ICCP/REG(2011)2)] has been prepared in support of the review of the Privacy Guidelines. It was circulated to OECD member countries and non-governmental stakeholders (ITAC, BIAC, CISAC).

The goal of the questionnaire was to gain an understanding of whether the objectives, strategies and policy principles reflected in the Guidelines are still relevant in today’s environment.ITAC provided detailed input.

Draft Terms of Reference for the Review of the OECD Privacy Guidelines

On the basis of responses to the questionnaire, a proposed interim outcome of the review of the Guidelines has been prepared by the Secretariat [DSTI/ICCP/REG(2011)4]. This document aims to provide orientation for a series of expert group discussions, which will focus on specific issues and will make recommendations to the WPISP.

ITAC, as a member of the OECD Privacy Volunteer Group, participates actively in consultations, calls and meetings on this topic.