The Office of the Data Protection Authority in Guernsey has published its Annual Report for 2022.
The report details the Authority’s activities under The Data Protection (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2017 which came into effect in May 2018.
The Annual Report highlights progress made towards the five strategic objectives detailed in the ODPA’s previous Strategic Plan (2019-2022):
- To develop the ODPA’s capabilities to deliver on its enhanced statutory duties.
- To be a relevant, responsive and effective regulator.
- To support organisations in delivering their obligations and empower individuals to exercise their rights.
- To develop and maintain effective relationships.
- To elevate discussions around the protection of personal data to engage the community and individuals in a relevant and positive way, recognising the personal, social and economic opportunities and threats that the data economy poses.
The ODPA published its new Strategic Plan (2023-2026) earlier this year.
Commenting on 2022’s activities, Emma Martins (pictured), the Bailiwick’s Data Protection Commissioner, said: “This report is significant for the office as well as for me personally. It can be easy to draft documents like annual reports and strategic plans and for them to be launched with fanfare and then find themselves gathering dust on the digital equivalent of an office shelf.
“From the outset we were clear that both these documents should never be allowed to gather dust – they are at the heart of the work we do. The strategic plan charts our direction of travel and articulates what we want to achieve and why. The annual report is an opportunity to reflect on, and be accountable for, how well we have delivered on those objectives in the past 12 months. As we mark the end of the previous strategic plan, which took us from the birthday of our current data protection law to the end of 2022, we also look ahead to delivering on our objectives for the next period, 2023-2026.
Speaking personally, this is a significant moment for me as it is my last annual report. I am enormously proud of the regulatory office we have built. Each and every one of the team is focussed on what we are here to do – deliver independent oversight of a law which has increasing importance and relevance in all our lives. The need for people with integrity, driven by a strong sense of purpose and public service to work in this area has never been so urgent.
“To have found those people to work alongside in the creation of this office has been an extraordinary privilege. There are going to be many challenges ahead for all of us, whether we work in this field or not. Data is inextricably linked to almost every aspect of our individual and collective lives. The Bailiwick can be proud of its contribution and of the framework it has put in place. Beyond official reports and publications, it is simply about treating each other with kindness, respect and dignity.”
The Annual Report can be read here.
