EU Member States and some 30 Indo-Pacific countries issued a joint statement on privacy and data protection at the Ministerial Forum for Cooperation on Tuesday 22 February.
The declaration stresses, among other things, the importance of promoting high standards of privacy protection, including a legal framework covering both the public and private sectors.
In addition, the joint declaration states, emphasis has also been placed on the importance of enforceable rights for individuals, such as access to data, rectification, erasure, and the possibility to challenge decisions taken automatically. Finally, the document also stresses the need for independent supervisory systems, controlled by specialised authorities.
Through this declaration, the stakeholders commit themselves to further discussions on cooperation and data protection, the document states.
This commitment should, among other things, help to foster user confidence, without which users may be “reluctant to adopt new technologies, public authorities may be reluctant to share personal data with foreign partners, and trade may be hindered”. (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)