DPI19: Data Regulators Reflect on First Months of GDPR

Speaking at the IAPP Data Protection Intensive 2019 conference in London, a panel discussion on the first year of GDPR and “What Actions Have Been Taken?” explored how over €55m has been handed out in fines, although the majority of that was the €50m levied at Google. The last year has also seen data protection authorities more than double their head counts. Moderator Vivienne Artz, chief policy officer of Refinitiv, reflected on data relating to investigations, reports and financial penalties since GDPR came into force. She said that in the UK, 206,326 total cases had been reported, of which 94,000 were complaints and 64,000 were data breach notifications. Of these, 52% had been concluded. Artz went on to ask the panelists how they had adapted to life under GDPR. Stephen Eckersley, director of investigations at the UK Information Commissioner’s Office, said that the ICO had increased staff numbers from 380 to 700, while Jay Fedorak, information commissioner of the Jersey Channel Islands, added that staff had increased from four to nine people.