The importance of privacy
Where we are, who we talk to, what we buy, how healthy we are. Information about us is recorded on a massive scale. Both offline and online. And often even unnoticed. We are in danger of losing control over our personal data. And that can have major consequences. For example, consider discriminatory algorithms, the trade in personal data, data breaches and identity theft.
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Concerns about privacy
People are therefore concerned about their privacy. Research has shown that as many as 94% of people are concerned about the protection of their personal data. This mainly concerns misuse of their identity documents, tracking of their online search behaviour and WiFi tracking.
Keeping control
Privacy is a fundamental right and a condition for being free in who you are and what you do. Privacy is about people keeping control over their data. It means preventing a photo of you as a drunk teenager, for example, from determining your future. The point is that we are not being tracked continuously, that our medical data is safe and that we can do something about automated decisions against us.
Risks
Many companies make their money primarily from personal data. There is nothing wrong with that per se. But too often, companies fail to comply with privacy rules when collecting, linking and using data. This happens on a large scale and often in complex and opaque systems. Companies use the data for profiling. This can lead to discrimination and exclusion of people.
Moreover, companies often obtain the data without people knowing. This means they cannot exercise their privacy rights. This also means people have less control over their own data. In addition, poor security of personal data can lead to identity fraud. People can sometimes suffer from this for years.
Privacy protection
People can do a lot to protect their privacy but, ultimately, they can't do it all alone. Especially because they often don't even know that organisations are processing their data. Or because they have no choice other than to hand over their data.
That is why we have an independent supervisory authority of personal data that protects people in a digital world. An authority that encourages companies and governments to comply with the privacy rules. An authority that checks whether they actually do that. And enforces this if necessary. We are that supervisory authority, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Dutch DPA).
In a free, democratic society, people must be able to trust that organisations handle their data with due care. Now and in the future. As the Dutch DPA, we work hard to achieve this every day.