Rapid digitalisation, the growing importance of access to data, and the increasing use of AI applications are all creating increasingly tough challenges for both the public and the private sectors.
With regard to enforcement, many of the challenges and issues facing the different sectors are in fact the same. A lot of the legislation relating to digitalisation touches on the same issues or contains overlapping content. In order to promote the exchange of experience in these areas, the participating independent authorities signed a cooperation agreement on 6 November 2024.
“Our new Digitalisation Network will allow us to work together as independent authorities, and enable us to find workable solutions for the issues surrounding digitalisation and artificial intelligence,” explains Natalie Harsdorf, Director General of the AFCA.
“Since digitalisation is progressing more and more rapidly and encompassing every area of our lives, it is essential that authorities with enforcement powers cooperate more closely. This way we can ensure that we share our sector-specific expertise and avoid contradictory decisions as much as possible,” comments Matthias Schmidl, Head of the Austrian Data Protection Authority.
The Digitalisation Network has set itself the following goals:
- Regular exchange of information and joint events
- Exchange of expertise, as far as possible from a legal and organisational perspective
- Assessment of facts within their sphere of influence
- Working groups at expert level to prepare common approaches
- Joint communication (position papers, statements).
