New Data Protection Act underway

The House of Industry approves the general terms of the proposal for a new data protection act, although some complications need to be ironed out.

A key element of the proposal is that a significant portion of the responsibility currently held by the Data Protection Agency should be transferred to IT managers at businesses and institutions.

Clear definition required

The new proposal states that data protection rules should not apply to companies with fewer than 250 staff members.

However, a provision in the proposal says that small businesses may be required to adhere to data protection rules if there is a risk of data protection breach.

This is too vague, according to the House of Industry, which is calling for a clearer definition.

Higher fines for breaches

The proposal suggests higher penalties for breaches of data protection rules, bringing fines for breaches up to the same level as in Denmark, where a taxi company being handed a DKK 1.2 million fine is used as an example.

These are issues that need to be clarified before any parliamentary debate on the proposal, according to the House of Industry, which is hosting an informational talk on the proposal for its members on 31 October at 2pm.

To register for the event, email industry@industry.fo or call 309900 by Tuesday at 12pm.

Translated by prosa.fo