Establishment of the Council of Europe Data Protection Day

28 January - Data Protection Day

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided to launch the Data Protection Day to be celebrated each year on 28 January. It is celebrated on the anniversary of the preparation of Convention 108 of the Council of Europe of 28 January 1981 for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data. This convention is the oldest legal act of international scope that regulates issues related to the protection of personal data.

Recognizing the need to reconcile fundamental values, such as respect for the right to privacy and the free flow of information between people, the Data Protection Day was established to emphasize the importance of adequate data protection both in the private and professional life of every citizen. Moreover, the intention of the Council of Europe was to sensitize citizens to data protection, and to inform them about their rights and good practices.

The Data Protection Day is to draw the attention of all European citizens to data protection issues and contribute to raising the level of knowledge in this area. On this day, various meetings, conferences, workshops and other accompanying events are held throughout Europe, which provide an opportunity to learn about the protection of personal data, as well as enable the exchange of views between data protection professionals.

The Council of Europe promotes initiatives and ensures the consistency of the activities organized in the framework of  this Day. Any state and/or national or international institution may participate in the celebrations. Poland joined the organization of the Data Protection Day in 2007. The undertaken activities are not financed by the Council of Europe.

More information on the Data Protection Day can be found at http://www.coe.int/dataprotection