GRA Wins Global Privacy And Data Protection Award
The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority has won an international award for its Education and Public Awareness initiatives.
A statement from the GRA follows below:
The award was granted by the Global Privacy Assembly (the “GPA”) – one of the most important global forums for data protection and privacy authorities, which comprises of more than 130 data protection and privacy authorities from across the globe.
The GRA’s entry titled “A layered and multi-pronged approach to awareness raising”, which formed part of the ‘Education and Public Awareness’ category, won the GPA’s People’s Choice Award.
Competing with the work of other authorities worldwide, such as the British, Polish, French and Canadian Data Protection Authorities and the European Data Protection Supervisor, the GRA’s nomination won the award following an open vote amongst the GPA’s membership.
The GRA’s entry focused on its “Control Your Privacy” campaign, which takes a layered and multi-pronged approach to raising awareness about data protection law and privacy. By combining traditional and modern outreach methods the GRA adapts its awareness raising methods to target key sectors within the community, namely children and adults. Key features relating to the awareness raising activities carried out for each key target sector are outlined below. Further details with regards these initiatives is available on the GRA’s website: www.gra.gi.
- Students:
(a) All school students aged between 11 and 16 are taught about privacy and data protection. GRA staff attend schools to deliver presentations on data protection and privacy. These are followed by a question-and-answer session.
(b) Annual survey. A survey (undertaken annually) is conducted, with corresponding reports published on the GRA’s website. The survey helps the GRA to learn about student behaviour in relation to data protection and privacy matters, and promotes engagement.
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(c) Educating the educators. The GRA developed educational resources, which teachers can make use of to educate students on privacy and data protection. The lesson plans adopt the International Framework developed by the GPA.
- Adults
(a) Public events in the city centre. The GRA promotes and periodically conducts a “Data Protection Day” in town to engage directly with members of the public and thereby generate and promote data protection awareness.
(b) Cooperation with key stakeholders. The GRA invites other public authorities and relevant bodies to participate in its initiatives, and supports the initiatives of others (e.g., the Royal Gibraltar Police’s safer internet day video and the Gibraltar Citizens Advice Bureau’s awareness raising events in town).
(c) Social media. In-keeping with new technologies and online behaviour, the GRA operates a social media campaign to engage with the public and disseminate information.
(d) Video. The GRA has introduced the creation and use of short eye-catching videos into its awareness raising initiatives in order to promote its guidance and address relevant topics via social media.
(e) Survey: In 2020, the GRA carried out a Data Protection Survey amongst the general public.
(f) Press releases: Press releases are regularly issued noting the GRA’s activities.
The key features of the GRA’s initiative are the combination of techniques to engage with different key sectors of the community, including direct one-to-one engagement methods as well as mass communication techniques with the cooperation of stakeholders, as appropriate, to promote a collective voice and action.
Every year, the GPA’s Global Privacy and Data Protection Awards celebrate the achievements of the GPA community. The GRA’s success was announced during the GPA’s 43rd annual conference hosted virtually by INAI Mexico.
In attendance at this year’s GPA conference were the GRA’s Director of Information Rights and Operations, Mr. Bradley Tosso, and the GRA’s CEO (ag), Mr. John Paul Rodriguez. In the GRA’s acceptance speech, Mr. Tosso highlighted the award was “a symbol of the GPA’s success as a platform for international cooperation that is truly inclusive” and that “education and awareness plays a fundamental role in the improvement of privacy and data protection as it empowers individuals and society”.
In addition, Mr. Rodriguez thanked the GPA on behalf of the GRA and emphasised that “having the GRA’s work recognised at an international level is an achievement of great value” adding that it is “both encouraging and humbling to learn that, through the voting process, fellow GPA colleagues around the globe have expressed their appreciation for our ongoing awareness-raising efforts”.
Data protection and privacy awareness raising is internationally recognised as a key function to ensure individuals, in particular children, are empowered in the new information and communications environment. Promoting data protection and privacy awareness is a statutory function of the GRA, as Information Commissioner.
