Washington – At the OECD Digital Economy Ministerial taking place this week in Gran Canaria, countries launched the Declaration on Government Access to Personal Data held by Private Sector Entities. The Declaration, which comes after years of work, outlines common principles and safeguards, which clarify how national security and law enforcement agencies can access personal data, subject to appropriate oversight and due process protections.
Shared principles include approval processes commensurate with the level of intrusion into people’s privacy, conditions for data handling, as well as effective redress and oversight mechanisms. The Declaration was signed by all 38 OECD Members and the European Union and is open for other countries to join. Originally announced at the end of 2020, this initiative brought together a broad range of experts and government representatives, including from law enforcement and national security agencies.
The following can be attributed to CCIA President Matt Schruers:
“We congratulate OECD countries for bringing the trusted government access project across the finish line. Two years of hard work has produced a shared understanding of limitations and safeguards on government access to data held by the private sector. This will inform national data governance policies, establish best practices that distinguish OECD member legal systems from authoritarian regimes, and build trust to enable secured data flows.
“This multilateral success also illustrates the continued importance of convening stakeholders to work through complex issues regarding data governance.”