ORGANISATIONS in Jersey have “no excuses” for failings to take data protection issues seriously, the Island’s Information Commissioner has warned.
Outlining some “shocking” results from a recent survey, commissioner Paul Vane said organisations falling short in their data protection responsibilities risked harming Jersey’s reputation and were liable to face action.
The data protection “maturity survey” run by Mr Vane’s office showed that 38% of larger organisations acknowledged to failings in training their staff caused by a “lack of time and organisational pressures”, while 67% reported that they had never carried out impact assessments covering data protection. Of those with data protection officers, 90% admitted to making the appointment without checking professional qualities and expertise/
“It’s shocking – you wouldn’t employ any other person within your organisation who didn’t have the appropriate skills and experience to do the job, so why would you do any different when appointing a data protection officer?” he said. “It bemuses me why that figure is so high, and it places the organisation at significant risk.”
The commissioner has a range of powers for use in cases where organisations fail to meet their responsibilities under the 2018 Data Protection Law, from words of advice for minor or first-time concerns, orders and reprimands to more serious sanctions such as public statements and fines. A drive will be taking place across the next 18 months to raise standards, Mr Vane added.
“The laws have been in place a long time, with the first Data Protection Law dating from 1987, so there are no excuses now,” he said. “It’s time to get it right – this is serious stuff and affects people’s lives and their livelihoods and their wellbeing, which are all things that we’re trying to protect in Jersey as a as an Island.
“It’s not just the responsibility of government or us as regulator, it’s the responsibility of every business and every citizen to to make sure we take this stuff seriously, if we want to stay living in a in a in a beautiful Island that’s that’s a good place to to live and work.”
The Office of the Information Commissioner had identified three strategic priorities for the next two vears, Mr Vane confirmed: focusing on the growing use of artificial intelligence, cyber security and children’s privacy.
“There’s a lot of work going on in the scope of children’s privacy at the moment,” he said. “Areas like online harms, the violence against women and girls project, online safety within schools, so it’s important we collaborate with the other organisations involved.”
A series of events, education programmes, training opportunities and social media campaigns are planned to raise awareness.
