28 January – Data Protection Day
Today information technologies are widely introduced in all spheres, processes are automated. The collection and processing of large amounts of personal data in various information systems require the implementation of legal, technical and organizational measures to protect the personal data of individuals. In order to protect against any abuse that may occur during the processing of personal data, the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (Convention No. 108) was adopted in Europe on January 28, 1981.
Azerbaijan ratified the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data in 2009 with relevant statements.And in 2010, a separate law on the regulation of personal data at the national level – the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Personal Data” was adopted.In accordance with the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On Personal Data”, as well as other legislative acts related to the protection of personal data, personal data must be protected by the owner, operator and users who have access to this information from the moment they are collected.The entity has the right to apply to the relevant executive authority or court in case of violation of his rights as a result of unlawful collection and processing of personal data, failure to ensure protection, and non-compliance with the requirements of this law, as well as to claim compensation for moral and material damage.
Measures are being taken in various countries around the world to create a legal framework for the collection and processing of personal data and to achieve its continuous improvement. On May 25, 2018, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force. Taking into account international experience, legal reforms on the protection of personal data are also being carried out in our country.For this purpose, a high-level working group has been formed under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies. The working group has prepared a new bill and submitted it.
In order to draw the attention of world community to this issue, January 28 has been celebrated as Data Protection Day since 2007 at the initiative of the Council of Europe. The main goal of the Data Protection Day is to educate people about the risks associated with the protection of personal data, their rights to personal data and ways to implement them. On this day, various events are held around the world.
In Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies regularly implements awareness-raising activities on the occasion of Data Protection Day with the participation of representatives of relevant government agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the Internet community as speakers and listeners.
At the initiative of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies, a workshop on “Personal Data Protection” is being held in Azerbaijan virtually within the framework of the project CyberEast: Action on Cybercrime for Cyber Resilience in the Eastern Partnership Region, implemented jointly by the EU and the Council of Europe. The workshop provides for the exchange of information and the discussion of implementation mechanisms with the participation of representatives of relevant agencies for the protection of personal data, Internet service providers, international experts and other stakeholders.
It should be noted that the official website (www.cert.az) of the Electronic Security Service under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies has an electronic appeal form “Report any incident relating to personal data” for prompt reception of appeals from entities whose rights to personal data have been violated.
