Tag: 29 Working Party

Article 29 WP will release guidelines on the GDPR by the end of 2016

26. October 2016

As Bloomberg reports, the Article 29 WP will provide guidance on the GDPR soon. Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, Chairwoman of the CNIL as well as of the Article 29 WP, acknowledged that the GDPR text is ambiguous in some aspects. Therefore, these guidelines aim at serving as an operational toolbox.

Amongst others, the guidance to the GDPR shall refer to the following aspects:

  • The designation of the leading Supervisory Authority in case of complaints or in relation to other procedures. Moreover, aspects of the bilateral cooperation and competence to resolve disputes by the Supervisory Authorities and the European Data Protection Board shall be clarified.
  • Guidance on the figure of Data Protection Officers is one of the priorities of the Article 29 WP, as it will play an essential role in companies on achieving GDPR compliance.
  • The right to data portability has been regulated for the first time in the GDPR. This right will allow data subjects to access their data and transfer data to other data controllers, for example upon the change of telephone provider. The guidance should focus on its scope and implementation.
  • The standard by which the proof of consent will take place, will have to be specified. This is especially important for small and medium-sized companies, for which a “simple pedagogical tool” will be developed.
  • A formal guidance on the Privacy Shield will not take place until the EU Commission has reviewed its functioning after the first year, this is summer or early fall 2017.

At the moment, the Article 29 WP remains neutral with regard to the Brexit. However, Falque-Pierrotin remarked that the Privacy Shield may be also useful in UK regarding international data flows with the U.S.A.

Further guidance is also expected in 2017, especially regarding topics such as the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and the implication of the Brexit in privacy issues.

Trust in current mechanisms to carry out international data transfer decreases

1. September 2016

According to a survey conducted recently by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), trust in current legal mechanisms to carry out data transfers to third countries, such as Standard Contractual Clauses and the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, has decreased.

The results of this survey reveal that 80 percent of companies relies on the Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the EU Commission to carry out international data transfers, especially to the U.S.A. However, there is currently uncertainty regarding the validity of the Standard Contractual Clauses, which may be also invalidated by the ECJ, as already occurred with the former Safe Harbor framework.

Regarding the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, which is operative since 1st August, the survey reveals that only 42 percent of U.S. companies plan to self-certify through this new framework, compared to the 73 percent that conducted self-certification with the Safe Harbor framework. The main reason for this may be related to the uncertainty regarding its validity. The Article 29 WP stated recently that the first annual review of the Privacy Shield will be decisive.

Finally, Binding Corporate Rules (BCR) are also used by companies to carry out intra-group data transfers. However, there are several reasons why not many companies implement them. One of these reasons relates to the high costs involved with the implementation. Moreover, the implementation process can last over one year. Also, BCR can be only used for international data transfers within the group, so that other mechanisms shall be used if data transfers outside the group take place.

WP29 – Statement on 2016 Action Plan for the GDPR

16. February 2016

The WP29 has recently published a statement with regards to the action plan in order to implement the EU GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation). The 2016 Action Plan is based on the following four priorities, which are relevant for the tasks of the WP29 and their subgroups.

1. Building up the EDPB (European Data Protection Board) structure and its administration

The main task will be developing IT systems. The European Data Protection Supervisor and the WP29 will furthermore cooperate to set up human resources, a budget and future procedures of the EDPB.

2. Setting up the One-Stop-Shop and the consistency mechanism

In order to prepare the One-Stop-Shop several measures will be necessary, e. g. a lead DPO will have to be designated and the EDPB consistency mechanisms need to be developed.

3. Publishing guidelines for data controllers and processors

The WP29 will publish different guidelines to assist data controllers and data processors in order to fulfil their duties according to the GDPR, such as the new right to portability, “Data Protection Impact Assessment”, and the announcement of a DPO.

4. Communication around the EDPB and the GDPR

The WP29 intends to create an online communication tool, to reinforce the relationship between the EU institutions and to participate in external events to promote the new governance model.

The subgroups of the WP29 will continue fulfilling their tasks. The International Transfers subgroup for instance will carry on analyzing the judgement of the European Court of Justice concerning e.g. the Schrems case. Furthermore, they will be analyzing the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and its impact on the international data transfers once it has been released.

The WP29 will examine the 2016 Action Plan regularly in order to complete it in 2017.