APDCAT will create a Data Protection Observatory to monitor, study and analyze the use of personal data and its social impact in Catalonia

The Catalan Data Protection Authority (APDCAT) will create the Data Protection Observatory, to monitor and analyze the degree of privacy protection in Catalan society and the implementation of data protection regulations. It will be integrated by a group of experts from the academic, professional and civil society fields, who will work to promote the correct use of personal data in Catalonia within the framework of the Data Protection Advisory Council. The initiative is included in the Authority's new Strategic Plan 2023 - 2028, the document that includes the guidelines, lines, objectives and strategic actions to be carried out until 2028, with the purpose of guiding the activity of the APDCAT to achieve a safer and more reliable digital society.

The Observatory will encourage the preparation of studies and opinion polls, to find out the degree of awareness of society in the matter of data protection, knowledge of their rights, the impact of new technologies, the transfer of data personal data and the loss of data, among other matters. This will make it possible to have key information to guide the training and awareness of the public on this issue. In addition, it will be configured as an open space for debate and will promote the exchange of information and good practices with international organizations.

More awareness, support and control

The APDCAT Advisory Council has today approved the new Strategic Plan, which is set up as a determining tool that must guide the set of APDCAT actions in the coming years. It was born to respond to current and future needs, taking into account the current economic, technological and social context and forecasts for the future.

In this sense, the Plan highlights the impact of the massive and widespread use of data to develop emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and big data. It warns that the increased dependence on data and technology, disinformation, manipulation and security breaches are present in the digital ecosystem. For this reason, the APDCAT defends that guarantees are needed so that these changes do not negatively affect people and really represent a step forward for society.

The document is the result of participatory work that has involved the direct involvement of experts and internal and external agents, as well as representatives of other institutions. It includes a series of actions that involve the transformation of the current model of the APDCAT, in order to achieve a balance in attention to institutions and to citizens. The Plan aims to strengthen guidance and awareness on the fundamental right to data protection, as well as guarantee that the rule is correctly complied with.

 It is structured around five strategic pillars and four levers of change. The pillars are:

• Awareness
• Supervision and control
• Prevention
• Formation
• Innovation

For its part, the levers of change that need to be affected to make this transformation and modernization of the organization possible in the coming years are:

• Alliances
• Talent
• Culture
• Resources

From here, the document includes more than sixty strategic actions to be developed between 2023 and 2028. In addition to the creation of the Data Protection Observatory, among the planned actions stand out the development of the first data protection officer learning community, to facilitate networking, knowledge sharing and efficiency in resolving issues. Also, design and implement programs, extend privacy protection to educational centers and socio-health centers, design new applications that make it easier for entities to comply with the norm, monitor the impact of new technologies on privacy, promote training and research and innovation on the subject and promote the support service of the APDCAT, which helps entities and citizens to act appropriately in accordance with the law and to defend their rights.