The 44th Global Privacy Assembly (GPA) organized by Türkiye's Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) will launch on Tuesday in Istanbul's Haliç Congress Center.
The event, which will be attended by data protection authorities and senior managers from throughout the world, is the organization with the widest participation in the protection of personal data.
At the two-day open session and two-day closed session conference, numerous topics from artificial intelligence to cross-border data transfer, from blockchain to the protection of children's personal data will be discussed in terms of privacy, taking into account the current developments in technology.
The main theme of the conference is "A Matter of Balance: Privacy in the Era of Rapid Technological Advancements," aiming to highlight the importance of achieving a balance between privacy and technologies based on data processing.
The conference will start with the opening speeches by KVKK Chair Faruk Bilir, Mexico’s National Institute for Transparency, Access to Information and Personal Data Protection (INAI) Chair Blanca Lilia Ibarra Cadena, Chair of the Turkish Presidency Digital Transformation Office Ali Taha Koç, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and Justice Minister Bekir Bozdağ.
The conference consists of an open session, in which member authorities and observer organizations as well as those interested in the field of data protection, the business sector, academia, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), professional organizations and press members can participate; and a closed session, that is open only to member authorities and representatives of observer organizations. During the conference, various topics such as AI, big data, blockchain, metaverse and cross-border data transfer will be discussed in terms of privacy by taking into account the current developments in technology, and the event will be held simultaneously in Turkish, English, Spanish and French. The agenda of the closed session covers the accreditation of new countries applying to be a member and presentation of reports by working groups operating under the assembly, discussions on administrative issues related to the management of the assembly, and adoption of resolutions.
The GPA first met in 1979 as the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners. The assembly has been the premier global forum for data protection and privacy authorities for more than four decades. The assembly seeks to provide leadership at the international level in data protection and privacy. It does this by connecting the efforts of more than 130 data protection and privacy authorities from across the globe. The GPA’s vision is an environment in which privacy and data protection authorities around the world are able effectively to act to fulfill their mandates, both individually and in concert, through the diffusion of knowledge and supportive connections.
The Personal Data Protection Authority (KVKK) is a regulatory and supervisory institution established to monitor the lawful processing of personal data and to ensure the protection of personal data in Türkiye. The KVKK, established in Ankara, the capital of the Republic of Türkiye, in accordance with the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 that entered into force on April 7, 2016, is a public institution with administrative and financial autonomy authorized for the protection of personal data.