This year, the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners takes place in Punta del Este, Uruguay. On October 22, 2012, Article 29 Working Party President Jacob Kohnstamm kicked off the conference with the Public Voice session, sending a clear message that the Article 29 Working Party will resist EU data protection reform proposals involving the use of consent and legitimate business interests as legal bases for data processing.
Governance for next generation data applications increasingly will depend less on individual consent, and more on organizations taking responsibility for the risks they create. This shift will be possible, however, only if data protection law relies less on consent and expands to allow repurposing for research. The work of the global Accountability Project facilitated by the Centre for Information Policy Leadership at Hunton & Williams LLP will be an integral part of the discussions in Uruguay and beyond.