The 27th international conference of data protection commissioners took place in Montreux/Switzerland from 13 to 15 September 2005. The meeting with the title "The protection of personal data and privacy in a globalised world: A universal right respecting diversities" saw several hundred data protection authorities (DPA) officials, industry, cyberrights groups and other stake-holders for three intense days of discussion. One big issue was the tenth anniversary of the EU's data protection directive from 1995. The assessment was mixed, though. There are still many differences in national laws and enforcement is weak. While the EU directive had a big impact on the globalisation of data protection legislation, this approach is hard to enforce on the border-less Internet. There is also a strategic rival emerging with the APEC privacy guidelines (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) that incorporate a lower privacy standard than the EU directive or the OECD guidelines.
Part of the discussion therefore focused on other means of privacy protection, ranging from industry self-regulation to incorporating privacy protection into the design of the technical infrastructures. Most presenters agreed that the 'user empowerment' approach failed, and that there needs to be some legal foundation for data protection. The commissioners in their closed session on 16 September adopted the Montreux Declaration. It calls for the spread of universal privacy principles around the world, including through the U.N.; cooperation with NGOs around the world; and for intergovernmental organisations (like ICAO, creator of the biometric/RFID passport standard) to comply with such principles and to appoint privacy officers.
The conference also passed resolutions on biometric identity documents and on the use of personal data for political communications. EDRI and other cyberrights groups were present at the conference with some speakers, a number of participants and a successful pre-event on 12 September (see next article). Many of the DPA representatives also referred to the importance of EDRI and similar groups for their work. Next year's conference will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Montreux conference website
http://www.privacyconference2005.org
Montreux declaration (16.09.2005)
http://www.edsb.ch/e/aktuell/konferenz/declaration-e.pdf
Montreux Resolution on the use of biometrics in passports, identity cards
and travel documents (16.09.2005)
http://www.edsb.ch/e/aktuell/konferenz/biometrie-resolution-e.pdf
Montreux Resolution on the use of personal data for political communication
http://www.edsb.ch/e/aktuell/konferenz/political-communication-resolut...
(Contribution by Ralf Bendrath, EDRI member Netzwerk Neue Medien)