Today, 25th May 2020 marks the 2nd anniversary of the GDPR.
accessnow.org issued this report: TWO YEARS UNDER THE EU GDPR
Extracted from the conclusion:
Crippled by a lack of resources, tight budgets, and administrative hurdles, Data
Protection Authorities have not yet been able to enforce the law adequately. Worse,
some public authorities have misused the GDPR to undermine other fundamental rights.
While the GDPR in itself is not to blame for these failures, fingers are sure to be pointed
at the law if urgent actions are not taken. We hope that the recommendations put
forward in this report will help address the situation.
I wonder even with more resources available, would the DPAs be better able to enforce the law adequately?
I suspect not. More resources will not guarantee better outcomes.
Governments should ensure the application of the GDPR and the
protect the right to data protection in their COVID-19 response,
particularly in the areas concerning the collection and use of health
data, the use of tracking and geolocation, and the conclusion of
public-private partnerships for the development and deployment of
contact-tracing apps.
Balancing the rights – the rights and freedoms of individuals & public interests – for the Covid-19 response is probably where we will see or have seen the workings or misuses of GDPR.