Welcome to the 2020 Data Protection Practitioner's Conference (DPPC)

The Data Protection Practitioner’s Conference 2021 (DPPC) provided a platform to discuss the information that will empower data protection practitioners and help them adjust their sails in the face of ongoing changes. The mindset of ‘you cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails’ was highlighted in this conference as the speaker emphasised the need for people and organisations to keep up with the pace of change, particularly in the technology sector. Artificial Intelligence (AI), is one of these changes and it has integrated itself throughout everyday life, from work, to social media and television. It is important that organisations understand the implications of this and how people’s personal information rights will be affected by its use. As a result, The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) released the Data Lives report which provides insight into how people feel about the privacy, hazards and benefits of data sharing, in addition to how they feel about the future. The ICO are helping organisations to help themselves through providing guidance on direct marketing, cross-Whitehall communication, Regulatory Risk reviews and upcoming changes in the legislative DPDI Bill. The key message of the conference was to empower practitioners through information. This prompted the ICO’s commitment to continue providing events, webinars, examples of good practice and more to ensure that organisations can effectively use, share and innovate with personal information responsibly.