IGF 2021 Town Hall #58 Data Protection In International Organizations

The idea of the debate is to explore the ways that international organizations are adopting a position on data protection, given the increase in legislation on the subject, but the lack of incidence of these standards on such entities. These organizations can assume a leading role in the quest for and construction of a culture of data privacy, especially considering the cross-border nature of the use of personal data. Therefore, entities such as the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPB) have initiatives to encourage international organizations to develop issues related to data protection. The body also emphasizes the importance of appointing Data Protection Officers (DPOs) by these international organizations, as well as the need to define, in common spaces, other data privacy parameters. Another point that still needs to be addressed regarding the connection between international entities and data protection is accountability. Thus, this space can be used for agents to continue thinking about forms of cooperation agreements involving international organizations. A series of internal data protection rules have already been adopted by international organizations (e.g. IOM and UN, that approved principles for processing personal data by UN organizations), but the theme still needs to be further developed, specially considering the new protection laws created around the globe.

The proposed dynamic consists of a 10-minute presentation by each speaker followed by questions from the audience, either in person or online. The proposal seeks to attract representatives of Data Protection Authorities and international organizations, in order to open dialogues on how these organizations act in matters of data protection. Therefore, we believe that the participation of the public will be active and very important for the development of the theme.