The data protection officers of German companies see an urgent need for political action. 69 percent consider the existing data protection laws, particularly in the areas of Cloud computing, international data processing and social media are not feasible. 77 percent fear a deterioration in the level of data protection as a result of the General Data Protection Regulation. On the other hand, 79 percent rate the support they receive from management as adequate or better, and 86 percent view their collaboration with the functional departments as cooperative and goal-oriented. The results of the Data Protection Practices Study are clear.
A Plea for the Introduction of Data Protection Officers Throughout Europe
So are companies and their data protection officers antagonistic towards each other? No. It is clear that data protection officers offer their companies considerable cost benefits. They enable the self-administration of data protection. Managing the procedures themselves is significantly more efficient than any Processing personal data individually to the supervisory authorities and, if necessary, having to wait for approval. The study demonstrates the effectiveness and efficiency of this German model of corporate self-regulation. It is a committed plea for the introduction of the company data protection officer throughout Europe.
These are the key findings of the study „Data Protection Practices 2015,“ conducted by the Bonn-based data protection consulting firm 2B Advice GmbH and the Institute for Economic and Social Statistics at the Technical University of Dortmund. The study was presented today at the European Parliament in Brussels by 2B Advice to MEP Axel Voss, vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs and legal policy spokesperson for the CDU/CSU Group.
„The study provides a realistic insight into the work of data protection officers, the resources they use, and practical approaches to improvement,“ says attorney Marcus Belke, managing director of 2B Advice.
An overview of other key findings from the study:
- 81 percent of the data protection officers surveyed work part-time. 37 percent devote no more than five percent of their working hours to the Data protection.
- 48 percent of the data protection officers surveyed do not have enough time to fulfill their legal obligations.
- 44 percent are dissatisfied with the work of the regulatory authorities. They criticize the inadequate enforcement of data protection violations and would like to see more counseling and training opportunities.
- 80 percent of data protection violations are addressed internally. In 2012 („Data Protection Practices 2012“), this figure was only 49 percent.
- 37 percent of the identified data breaches involved customers, while 48 percent involved the company's own employees.
- 42 percent of the data protection officers surveyed are not adequately informed about data breaches.
- 62 percent do not have a complete record of procedures.
- 43 percent consider a Certification as a good idea, but only 5 percent of companies have been certified so far.
Axel Voss: „Structures are becoming increasingly blurred, and data scandals are undermining consumer trust. This study confirms precisely this erosion of trust. It provides policymakers and the business community with concrete figures on the work of data protection officers in Germany. The long-term goal is a European digital single market with high data protection standards.”.
That is why, in Europe, when revising the General Data Protection Regulation “take into account the declining trust as well as the concerns of German data protection commissioners. Above all, we must adapt European data protection to the digital age. Data protection commissioners will therefore play an important role."
For those interested, it is available for free download in German and English here at Publications.
The „2015 Data Protection Practices“ report is based on information provided by 263 data protection officers with a combined total of 2,097 years of professional experience.
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