NZ privacy lead John Edwards named unusual knowledge commissioner

DCMS has named John Edwards, currently Current Zealand privacy commissioner, to be triumphant Elizabeth Denham as UK knowledge commissioner

Alex Scroxton

Alex Scroxton,
Safety Editor

Published: 26 Aug 2021 9: 28

Current Zealand’s serving privacy commissioner John Edwards has been chosen by the UK authorities as potentially the most correctly liked candidate to be triumphant Elizabeth Denham as knowledge commissioner when she steps down from the post in October 2021, after her term rather than enterprise was extended.

Edwards, who’s currently serving out his 2d 5-year term in Current Zealand, was appointed to his post in 2014, and recently oversaw the introduction of the country’s 2020 Privateness Act. He was additionally chairman of the World Privateness Meeting – previously the Global Conference of Info Protection and Privateness Commissioners – from 2014 to 2017.

Sooner than that, he was a specialist in knowledge law, with a 20-year prepare in Wellington, and has additionally held a vary of alternative fair statutory appointments, including as watchdog for folks in compulsory psychological healthcare, and intellectual disability products and services.

Digital secretary Oliver Dowden acknowledged it was significant to gain leadership in set of dwelling at the Info Commissioner’s Negate of enterprise (ICO) to enable the UK to pursue “a peculiar era” of details-pushed boost and innovation now that the country has fully exited the European Union (EU).

“John Edwards’ enormous trip makes him the particular candidate to make sure knowledge is mature responsibly to attain these objectives,” acknowledged Dowden.

Edwards acknowledged: “It’s a giant honour and responsibility to be thought about for appointment to this key feature as a watchdog for the guidelines rights of the of us of the UK.

“There would possibly per chance be a giant opportunity to create on the best work already achieved and I look forward to the bid of guidance the organisation and the British economic system loyal into a situation of worldwide leadership in the stable and relied on spend of details for the profit of all.”

Under the Info Protection Act, Edwards is formally appointed by the Queen by Letters Patent, on the premise of “pleasing and commence” competition and on ministerial recommendation – these ministers having been assisted in their resolution by an Advisory Evaluate Panel. Alternatively, sooner than formally taking on the post, Edwards will additionally gain to seem sooner than the Division for Digital, Custom, Media and Sport (DCMS) Buy Committee in early September.

Edwards becomes the sixth person to support the post of details commissioner – even supposing, on its creation in 1984, the feature was identified as knowledge protection commissioner – and the 2d non-Brit in the feature, following Denham, who hails from Canada.

He takes on the bid at a severe juncture in the ICO’s history, because the digitisation of the UK’s day after day life brings with it vastly increased volumes of sensitive knowledge, and increased trouble to it.

Alongside that, the feature of details commissioner and the work of the ICO has recently turn into extremely visible, with Denham referred to as upon to arbitrate on excessive-profile knowledge protection screw ups – comparable to breaches at British Airways and Marriott which resulted in great fines.

She additionally suggested via the introduction of the Fashioned Info Protection Legislation (GDPR), the affect of Brexit and, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic, which noticed the ICO dramatically scale relief its work.