Bridging the Gap with PETs: Governments' Opportunity to Lead on Innovation and Privacy

  • Panel
  • Grande Halle
  • Thursday 22.05 — 10:30 - 11:45

Organising Institution

Google

  • Business 4
  • Policy 2
The private sector is building compelling proof points for privacy enhancing technologies (PETs), showcasing their power to enable data-driven breakthroughs while safeguarding personal information. Yet, the rate of uptake lags behind expectations. How can we unlock the full potential of PETs and overcome the barriers to adoption? Join Google, leading European and international regulators and civil society experts to discover how governments can be the catalyst for widespread PETs adoption. We'll explore how strategic investments, promotion of interoperable standards, and implementation of smart regulatory incentives can build a future where dynamic innovation and robust privacy and data protection go hand in hand.

Questions to be answered

  1. How can governments ensure PETs boost user trust and privacy, and what key public initiatives can make their benefits clear and accessible to all?
  2. Where can regulation and guidance catalyze responsible PETs use?
  3. What role can public and private sector research and interoperable standards foster collaborations to successfully drive both PET-enabled innovation and strong data protection?
  4. What forms of direct support, resources, or strategic investments from governments would most effectively help organizations overcome the current barriers to using PETs?

Moderator

Rob Van Eijk

International

Dr. Rob van Eijk leads the Future of Privacy Forum's European operations as Managing Director. Previously, he spent a decade at the Dutch Data Protection Authority as Senior Supervision Officer and Lead Technologist. With a Ph.D. from Leiden Law School focused on online advertising and privacy, plus degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, he brings deep technical expertise to privacy policy. He recently served as a guest professor at Leiden University, teaching Explainable AI. 

Speaker

Sarah Holland

Google - International

Sarah Holland is a member of Google's Privacy, Safety, and Security Public Policy team, leading global work on responsible data strategy, privacy enhancing technologies, and sensitive data issues. She has taught graduate-level data ethics, policy, and communications courses at Georgetown University and served as an Assembly Fellow with the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society where she co-founded a project to improve data analysis and AI outcomes. Before joining Google, she served as a senior advisor on data and privacy, consumer protection, and foreign policy issues in the U.S. Senate. In that role, she was lead staff and negotiator on several internet accessibility, consumer protection, and data security bills, bringing three to enactment.

Speaker

Christian Reimsbach-Kounatze

OECD - International

Christian Reimsbach-Kounatze is a senior Information Economist and Policy Analyst at the Data Flows, Governance and Privacy Division of the OECD. He has been working on digital transformation issues for more than 20 years, with a particular focus on data-driven innovation and data governance at the OECD since 2010. Christian currently coordinates OECD projects on data governance in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) with a focus on issues such as data access and sharing, and privacy-enhancing technologies. Before joining the OECD, Christian worked as a researcher at the Institute for Information and Market Engineering of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and at SAP Research in Germany. He also worked as an IT consultant with a focus on the investment banking sector in Luxembourg. Christian holds Diplomas in Information Science, Engineering and Management, and in Economics, both granted by the KIT

Speaker

Valda Beizitere

DG Just - Europe

Valda Beizitere is a legal and policy officer in the data protection unit of the European Commission’s DG Justice and Consumers. She is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the GDPR in the Member States. As part of her tasks she also works closely with other European Commission services. That includes work on legislative and non-legislative initiatives under the European strategy for data, in the area of financial services, and mobility.