Privacy and New Technologies

  • Panel
  • Grande Halle
  • Wednesday 21.05 — 10:30 - 11:45

Organising Institution

Council of Europe

International

  • Academic 1
  • Business 1
  • Policy 4
In a period of rapid technological evolution, many ask how to uphold and secure human rights and fundamental freedoms as defined by international instruments — notably the right to privacy. New data processing techniques and technologies, such as big data and profiling, are almost a thing of the past, and today we face other technologies such as neurotechnology and Large Language Models that elevate the processing of personal data to a complexity never seen before. But not only does the level of complexity become higher, the risk of a potential impact on individuals' private lives through the processing of personal data by these technologies and applications also increases. The panel will look into current challenges international organisations face when elaborating standards in these fields and into solutions to overcome them. It will also delve into whom these international standards are useful for, and how.

Questions to be answered

  1. How can we address the tension between "old" human rights frameworks and the rapid evolution of new technologies?
  2. As personal data processing becomes increasingly complex, how can we assess and mitigate the rising risks to privacy?
  3. What challenges do international organisations with a mandate to uphold human rights, the rule of law, and democracy face in this context?
  4. How are international standards elaborated, how useful are they, and for whom?

Moderator

Peter Kimpian

Council of Europe - Europe

Peter is the Secretary to the Committee of the Council of Europe Privacy and Data Protection Convention, known as Convention 108 and currently working – among others – on preparing the implementation of the modernised Convention 108+. Previously in charge with law enforcement and national security related privacy matters, with internet governance issues and with standard setting activities based on this Convention. Prior to that he was involved in topics like the EU Data Protection Directive, the GDPR, EU Law Enforcement Directive, EUROPOL regulation, EU PNR Agreements with third states, Terrorist Financing Tracking Programme, and the EU-US Privacy Shield agreement. He has also been active since 2020 in technical assistance programmes on cybersecurity, cybercrime and data protection in Africa, Asia and Latin-America.

Speaker

Anamarija Mladinić

AZOP, Croatian DPA, member of the Bureau of Convention 108 - Croatia

Anamarija Mladinić is the Head of the Sector for EU, International Cooperation, and Legal Affairs at the Croatian Data Protection Authority (AZOP), bringing over a decade of experience in the field of data protection. In 2024, Anamarija was elected Vice-Chair of the Committee of Convention 108 of the Council of Europe— the oldest international organization dedicated to the protection of human rights, which unites 46 member states from the broader European region. She actively contributes to the work of the European Data Protection Board and serves as the project manager of the ARC II project, whose flagship outcome is Olivia, a web-based tool designed to support SMEs in achieving GDPR compliance.

Speaker

Cathal McDermott

Microsoft - International

Cathal McDermott is an Assistant General Counsel in the Privacy, Safety, and Regulatory Affairs team at Microsoft leading a team working on European legal regulatory issues, including AI and privacy. Cathal has over a decade of experience leading privacy and regulatory legal work in Europe and internationally for global technology companies. Prior to joining Microsoft, he led European legal teams at Dropbox and Red Hat and practised privacy law in Dublin. Cathal holds a law degree from Trinity College, Dublin, a Master of Laws from University College, London and technology law qualifications from Queen Mary University and the University of Cambridge.

Speaker

Emma Redmond

Open AI - Ireland

Emma Redmond is Associate General Counsel, Head of Privacy and Data Protection at OpenAI, where she leads the company’s global privacy strategy. She also serves as Head of OpenAI Ireland, overseeing operations in Ireland. Previously, Emma was Global Head of Privacy and Chief Privacy Officer at Stripe, leading privacy programmes at scale in one of the world’s most influential fintech companies and Head of International Data Protection at LinkedIn. Beyond her industry leadership, Emma is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Law at University College Dublin and a member of the Government of Ireland’s AI Advisory Council, contributing to national AI policy and governance. Emma was recognized among the 100 Top Tech People in Ireland.