Jersey’s Information Commissioner, Paul Vane (pictured) has been selected to serve as a Member of the Executive Committee of the premier international forum for data protection and privacy authorities, the ‘Global Privacy Assembly’ (GPA).
Commissioner Vane was invited to serve as a Member, which he accepted in his capacity as Jersey Information Commissioner and Chief Executive of the island’s data protection regulator’s office, the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner (JOIC).
The GPA has been at the forefront of global data protection and privacy leadership for more than four decades and connects the efforts of more than 130 data protection and privacy authorities from around the world. The appointment of Commissioner Vane recognises the work of the JOIC both locally and internationally, with Jersey becoming one of only a small number of data protection and privacy authorities around the world to be selected to serve as a member of the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee is chaired by the Board of the National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information, and Personal Data Protection of Mexico and comprises the Privacy Commissioners for Argentina, Germany, Turkey, Morocco and Bermuda. The announcement that Commissioner Vane has accepted the invitation to serve was made at the GPA Annual Meeting 2022, the premier international data protection and privacy conference which took place in Istanbul, Turkey, last week.
Commissioner Vane commented: “I am honoured and extremely proud to have been selected to serve as a Member of the Executive Committee of the Global Privacy Assembly. We may be a small authority but along with my dedicated team, we are working resolutely to strengthen data protection and privacy awareness, rights and obligations across the Island community. However, we are also committed to our broader international role in GPA activities and the importance of our position on a global playing field by making an active contribution to the strategic objectives of the GPA.
My office has been a member of the GPA, and its prequel body since 2005. In recent years we have become more actively involved in GPA activities, with representation on a number of their Working Groups. Since May this year, we have chaired the newly formed Data Sharing Working Group. This is an extremely important area of the GPA’s work and one we are focused on advancing.
In respect of the long-term vision for my office, we want to create a culture in Jersey where privacy becomes instinctive. The continued work of the GPA in advancing global privacy in an age of accelerated digitalisation, maximising the voice of the GPA, particularly in terms of the broader digital policy, and building the capacity of the GPA and its members will most certainly help to secure that vision. Now, as a Member of the Executive Committee, I intend to contribute our voice and leadership to furthering those critically important discussions and policy areas.”
