An event entitled “Digital Law: Protection of Personal Data” was held as part of the 2nd International Cybersecurity Week. The event was organized by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies in partnership with industry-specific local and international organizations, as well as companies licensed in the relevant field.

The main objective is to strengthen cooperation with persons representing the categories of owners and operators of personal data, educating them and increasing the level of protection of personal data at the national level through the use of international practices.

The event was attended by persons responsible for the protection of personal data of government agencies, non-governmental organizations, the banking sector, international organizations and representative offices, Internet service providers, mobile operators, educational institutions, insurance companies, healthcare facilities and other organizations, as well as experts from the Council of Europe, Moldova, Israel and other countries.

Opening the event with introductory remarks, Deputy Minister of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Elmir Velizade noted that the issue of protecting personal data is of particular importance nowadays. “Personal data is an integral part of cyberstalking, that is, the ongoing attacks are aimed at obtaining more personal and other potential data,” the Deputy Minister said.

Elmir  Velizade indicated that the legislation on the protection of personal data in Europe has been in force since 1981. Noting the need to strictly comply with requirements for personal data protection, he emphasized that work is underway to improve the law on personal data adopted in our country, a draft new law is being developed.

Speaking about the legal regulation in the field of personal data, current and practical problems, head of the Delegation of the European Union to Azerbaijan Kestutis Jankauskas noted the importance of choosing right passwords for computers, mobile phones for reliable protection of personal data. He emphasized that addressing the issues of improving the rules in cyberspace, preserving data in the field of cybersecurity, including the rule of law and others, are priority areas for the EU. The EU representative noted the importance of measures taken in this direction with the countries of the Eastern Partnership, including Azerbaijan, and expressed support for the work carried out in our country.

Speaking at the event, head of the Electronic Security Service under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and High Technologies Faig Farmanov noted that 7 years ago, on March 5, the Electronic Security Service began to function. He said that the development of information and communication technologies contributes to the expansion of personal data, which ultimately requires the formation of new views. He emphasized the importance of education in this area.

Then consultant at the Data Protection Unit of the Council of Europe Peter Kimpian made a presentation on “Convention 108: Global Standard for Information Security”. He spoke on the work done by the Council of Europe to regulate these issues.

Chief Technical Officer of Prosol CJSC, personal data protection expert Nir Kapelushnik gave a report. He said that the implementation of laws and regulations, education by the government is of particular importance for taking preventive measures to eliminate existing problems in the protection of personal data.

At the event, presentations were made on topics  “Rights of personal data subjects, characteristics of their implementation and protection” by legal consultant on personal data protection Olga Demyan,  “Our rights and obligations on personal data” by information technology auditor Ilgar Aliyev, “Organization for the use of personal data” by project manager at AISTGroup LLC Babek Aliyev, “Privacy policy of Ernst & Young on personal data and steps towards GDPR” by the expert of the representative office of Ernst & Young in Azerbaijan.