Data Protection Authorities celebrated the 28th of January 2021 the “Data Privacy Day” by publishing a video about the 40th anniversary of Convention 108. The video brought together EU and Non-EU countries from around the world. Several countries have recently either signed and/or ratified Convention 108 or joined as observers.
Data Privacy Day
The “Data Privacy Day” has evolved in recent years from a European celebration day to an international day celebrated globally to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices.
This day is, in reality, the anniversary of the signature of the “Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data” ( aka Convention 108 ) by the Council of Europe on 28 January 1981.
Although it was the Council of Europe that initiated the celebration of the “European Data Protection Day” in 2007, the name changed to “Data Privacy Day” after the adoption, in 2009, of the United States House of Representatives and the US Senate resolutions declaring 28 January National Data Privacy Day.
The Convention 108
The Council of Europe (CoE) Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić declared on 28th January 2021 that : “The convention has become a major tool of global relevance for protecting the right of individuals to data protection by creating a common legal space in its current 55 state parties. The modernized convention will address the new challenges for the protection of personal data globally in the digital era. States should ratify the protocol modernizing “Convention 108” so it can enter into force as soon as possible”.
The Council of Europe, on its website, indicated that “This is only a beginning as the modernised version of the Convention is ready to continue to serve as many countries as possible in the digital era.” Representatives of non-EU countries have participated in the celebration video, including New Zealand, Ghana, Morocco, Australia, Philippines, Uruguay, Brazil, Argentine, Turkey, Tunisia, Mexico, Mauritius, and Cape Verde, …
Today, the convention has 55 state parties on four continents plus 20 countries participating in its meetings and general assembly. The Convention 108 has also become the backbone of national legislation in many countries worldwide.
The Convention 108+ is the modernised version of the convention that was adopted in 2018 to bring further together the various normative frameworks developed in different regions of the world, including the European Union’s, and to provide a multilateral instrument that is flexible, transparent, and robust.
