What you should know about the Data Protection Officer
The primary role of the Data Protection Officer (DPO) is to ensure that its organisation processes the personal data of its staff, customers, providers or any other individuals (also referred to as data subjects) in compliance with the applicable data protection regulations. In the EU institutions and bodies, the applicable Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EC) 45/2001) obliges them each to appoint a DPO. Regulation (EU) 2016/679, which obliges some organisations in EU countries to appoint a DPO, will be applicable as of 25 May 2018.
Appointing a DPO
The appointment of a DPO must of course be based on his/her personal and professional qualities, but particular attention must be paid to itss expert knowledge of data protection. A good understanding of the way the organisation operates is also recommended.
Position of the DPO in the organization chart
The DPO is an integral part of the organisation, making it ideally placed to ensure compliance. Nevertheless, the DPO should be able to perform it’s duties independently.
Tasks of the DPO
The DPO has to ensure that the data protection rules are respected in cooperation with the data protection authority (for the EU institutions and bodies, this is the EDPS).
Data protection officers are responsible for overseeing data protection strategy and implementation to ensure compliance with GDPR requirements.
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Data Protection Officer (DPO) | European Data Protection Supervisor