The Information and Data Protection Commissioner’s office, on the occasion of January 28th, International Data Protection Day (commonly known as “Privacy Day”), organized an awareness-raising activity to highlight the importance of respecting privacy, safeguarding, and protecting personal data.
The event took place at the “Sami Frashëri” High School in the capital and brought together high school administrators, teachers, pupils, and parents.
In his address, Commissioner Mr. Dervishi, emphasized the importance of raising awareness among young people about the security of personal data, as well as the proper handling and safeguarding of such data in the face of the exposure that technology might bring. He reminded attendees that this is an election year and urged young people exercising their right to vote to be cautious about their personal data.
The event also addressed by Mr. Olsi Dekovi, Deputy Head of the Office of the Council of Europe (CoE), who highlighted that personal data, including data in the online space, is a valuable asset that must be treated with care, especially by young people. He noted that protecting personal data requires continuous education and timely responses to any potential breaches.
Moderated by Ms. Pjerina Mema, General Director for Personal Data Protection, pupils, parents, and teachers addressed encountered issues by discussing real-life cases and examples. Topics of discussion included breaches of online privacy, cyberbullying, malicious text messages, the unauthorized use of photos or other personal data, and other issues emphasizing the need for proper information and the importance of personal data protection.
At the end of the activity, participants completed a questionnaire prepared by the Commissioner’s Office to assess their knowledge of personal data protection.
On January 28, 1981, the Council of Europe (CoE) adopted the “Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data” (known as Convention 108). On April 26, 2006, the Council of Europe decided to establish a Data Protection Day, to be marked annually on January 28th, the date of the adoption of Convention 108.
