Data Protection Weekly 18/2022

May 6, 2022

European Union

The EDPB and EDPS released a joint opinion on the Data Act

The EDPS and the EDPB published on 5 May 2022, their Joint Opinion on the proposed Data Act. The institutions welcome the efforts made to ensure that the Data Act does not affect the current data protection framework.

As the Data Act would also apply to highly sensitive personal data, the EDPS and EDPB urge the co-legislators to ensure that data subjects’ rights are duly protected.

In their joint opinion, the EDPB and EDPS consider that :

  • Personal data should be accessed, used, and shared by entities other than data subjects in strict accordance with all data protection principles and rules.
  • Products should be designed so that data subjects have the option of using devices anonymously or in the least intrusive manner possible.

You can read the joint opinion, here.

 

National Authorities

Germany: The DSK calls for employee data protection law

The Conference of Independent German Federal and State Data Protection Supervisory Authorities published on 4 May 2022, a resolution calling for an Employee Data Protection Act.

For the DSK, « digitalization is leading to profound changes in the world of work » and it recommend to ban the use of artificial intelligence in the employment context, prohibiting intrusive data processing and implementing regulations around data processing in the application phase.

You can read the resolution here, only available in German.

 

Spain: AEPD launches health data guidance hub

 The AEPD announced on 4 May 2022, the creation of a new section on its website dedicated to Health data processing. This new page will offer a condensed version of legislation, criteria, doctrine and precedents » in order to help professionals adress data protection in the health space.

It aims to provide  general information on the treatment of health data and how to exercise the right of access to medical records.

You can access this new section, here, only available in Spanish.

 

UK: ICO publishes AI and data protection risk toolkit

 The ICO published on 5 May 2022, an AI and data protection risk toolkit.

This risk toolkit is designed to provide practical support to organisations to reduce the risks to individuals’ rights and freedoms caused by of their own AI systems.

You can download it, here.