On the occasion of Data Protection Day, I want to send you my warm greetings and share a few reflections with you. Privacy and personal data protection are undergoing a period of transformation. We are, in fact, in the midst of a substantial reform at the European level involving a wide range of regulations that affect data, technologies (such as artificial intelligence), cybersecurity, and, of course, privacy and personal data protection.

This reform aims to simplify European rules in order to stimulate the data economy and enhance the competitiveness of European companies, while respecting fundamental rights and freedoms as safeguarded within our European Union.

And this is the essence of the message I would like to convey to you on Data Protection Day: I invite European companies to continue to innovate, grow, and offer increasingly better products and services to their customers, as well as ever more innovative solutions to improve internal workflows, by using personal data and technologies in a responsible manner. Personal data protection is not designed to hinder the exchange or valorization of data, but to ensure that these activities take place in a respectful and responsible way.

Processing data correctly is not only a matter of regulatory compliance; it is also a way to demonstrate that an organization is transparent, trustworthy, and socially responsible, and it also has an impact on the planet. For example, avoiding the processing of irrelevant data and deleting data when it is no longer necessary also has value in terms of avoiding unnecessary use of computational resources and thus contributing to the reduction of CO₂ emissions.

On this point, together with my research group at Maastricht University, we have created the first international framework to guide and enhance efforts in privacy and cybersecurity also within the ESG dimension. It is indeed interesting to note that studies show that a strong privacy and cybersecurity positioning can increase ESG scores by over 20% in some cases.

But beyond mere business considerations, I believe that protecting individuals’ privacy and cybersecurity is a matter of corporate social responsibility… and that is my message for you today!

Warm regards,

Paolo