The European Commission's proposal for a General Data Protection Regulation represents the most significant global development in data protection law in the last twenty years. There are still issues to be resolved such as the ‘one-stop-shop proposal’ but agreement in many areas. Some of the key changes in the current draft include stronger rights for consumers, greater responsibilities for data controllers, a legal requirement for data breach notification and greater enforcement powers with fines of up to €100 million or 5% of the organization’s annual global turnover (whichever is greater). And, as it has been set out as a Regulation rather than a Directive, once adopted it will be directly and universally applicable across all EU Member States without necessarily the need for any national legislation.
For so long, it was possible to watch the new General Data Protection Regulation debate from the sidelines but as politicians get closer to final consensus finally the time has come to start to take action. Given the complexity of introducing new global compliance initiatives, now is the time to assess the potential impact of the proposed Regulation on your business and ensure you have the budget, tools and plan in place to respond.
In this fourth webinar in the TRUSTe Privacy Insight Series, John Bowman, Senior Principal at Promontory and former lead negotiator for the UK on the regulation at the DAPIX working group in Brussels, and Christian Wiese Svanberg Attorney-at-law, Plesner, former Danish Ministry of Justice, will share their insights on the final requirements in the proposed EU General Data Protection regulation and what businesses need to do to prepare for changes ahead.
Speakers Include
John Bowman
Senior Principal, Promontory
Josh Harris
Director of Policy, TRUSTe
Christian Wiese Svanberg
Attorney-at-law, Plesner
Steve Wright
Chief Privacy Officer, Unilever
Speaker Bios
John Bowman
Senior Principal, Promontory
John Bowman is a Senior Principal in Promontory's privacy and data protection team. John advises clients on all aspects of compliance with data protection laws and regulations. Prior to joining Promontory, John worked at the UK Ministry of Justice where he was the government’s lead negotiator on the proposed EU General Data Protection Regulation. This work involved heading the UK delegation to the DAPIX working group in Brussels, developing the government’s policy position on the Regulation, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, and regularly briefing ministers. John also represented the UK at the European Commission's Article 31 Committee, which is responsible for determining the adequacy of non-EU data-protection regimes, including the US Commerce Department’s Safe Harbor privacy scheme. He earlier represented the UK government in negotiations on reviewing The Hague Conventions on International Child Abduction, and he also carried out a comprehensive review of the UK’s claims management regulation regime for the Ministry of Justice.
Josh Harris
Director of Policy, TRUSTe
Most recently, Josh served as Policy Director for Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that seeks to advance responsible data practices. Previously, Josh was Associate Director in the Office of Technology and Electronic Commerce at the International Trade Administration. Josh has also worked in private practice as an international trade attorney. In 2004, he was selected to the White House’s Presidential Management Fellowship program. In 2008, Josh was recognized with a professional award for his contributions to a Presidential trade initiative. In 2012, Josh received the United States Department of Commerce Gold Medal – the highest award offered by the Department – for his work on the APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules System. From 2011 – 2013, Josh was the Vice-Chair of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation’s (APEC) Data Privacy Subgroup and Chair of the Cross Border Privacy Rules System’s Joint Oversight Panel. Previously, Josh was the Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Privacy and Information Security Committee. Josh received his Juris Doctor from the George Washington University Law School in 2004 and his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo in 2000. Josh was admitted to the Washington, DC bar in 2005.
Christian Wiese Svanberg
Attorney-at-law, Plesner
Christian Wiese Svanberg works as an attorney-at-law in the IP-law Department. Christian primarily works with data protection law, data security, TMT (technology, media and telecommunications) and related areas. In this connection Christian also advises on drafting Binding Corporate Rules, legal risk management and general data protection compliance with regard to solving HR tasks, marketing, e-commerce etc.
Christian has several years of experience with data protection law from his time at the Danish Data Protection Agency and the department of the Danish Ministry of Justice. Up to and during the EU presidency in 2012 Christian was employed at the EU Presidency Secretariat at the Danish Ministry of Justice and was in that connection among other things co-chair of the expert group in the Council of the European Union, which negotiates the General Data Protection Regulation. Furthermore, Christian's experience from his time under the purview of the Danish Ministry Finance and the Danish Ministry of Justice gives him a solid starting point when it comes to advising public authorities and semi-public companies and their opposing parties. When at the department of the Danish Ministry of Justice Christian also worked part-time as a prosecutor for the Copenhagen Metropolitan Police and the Copenhagen Public Prosecutor's Office where he gained experience in conducting criminal litigation before the Danish district courts and the Danish High Court. Christian is an external lecturer in EU Law at the University of Copenhagen.