A Global Perspective for Data Protection in the Private Sector – Milan, 10 June 2014

Tech and Law Center is pleased to invite you to

“A global perspective for data protection in the private sector”

on 10th June 2014, from 14.30 to 16.00,

at Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Sant’Antonio 5, Aula 2

Speakers:

Alessandro Mantelero

Sibilla Ricciardi

Discussant:

Luca Luparia

Giuseppe Vaciago

Stefano Ricci

Pierluigi Perri

“A global perspective for data protection in the private sector”
In recent years, social research in the field of data protection has shown a steady growth of attention from consumers and commercial partners for the levels of data protection and the modalities of data processing offered by individual companies. The recent revelations of the NSA’s surveillance activities have served to raise the already existing concerns on this issue. Increasingly, therefore, the link among the protection of personal data, trust and competitiveness is strengthening.

With this perspective in mind, Europe and the United States have put forward specific proposals for reform designed to address these issues, basically focusing on the strengthening of their respective regulatory frameworks in the field of data protection. The historical differences in approach to cultural and socio-economic contexts, however, have given rise to much debate on both sides of the Atlantic regarding the optimal approach to follow. The ongoing debate involves academics, policymakers, businesses and lobbyists.

The attention focused on the US-EU approaches to data protection, and their impact on business models, tend to overlook many of the regulatory changes that we are seeing in other parts of the world (primarily in Asia), where many European and US companies are actually operating or discovering emerging markets. Therefore, looking both at the phenomena of outsourcing and at B2B and B2C relationships makes it more necessary than ever to take a comprehensive approach to the study of data protection, especially in order to achieve the harmonization of regulations. This result is not only practical for the needs of enterprises, but it is also fundamental to ensure the protection of the rights of individuals and groups in the context of the global digital economy. The proposed approach considers the different models of regulation, in order to suggest the identification of a common set of principles, making it possible to achieve interoperability among models. This interoperability will not only serve to ensure the efficient operation of enterprises in the global context, but it can also become a tool for forging a coexistence of principles and rules with local socio-cultural particularities, which vary across the globe.
In doing so, however, it is necessary to concentrate on the importance of the fundamental right of the protection of personal data and take into account the increasing demand for data protection coming from different societies. Within this context, the future can be represented by an ambitious framework of protection with the aim of guaranteeing the rights of the individual, while taking into account the needs of businesses, far surpassing the simple minimum levels of protection generally accepted.