IUCC Hosts GDPR Workshop

In light of technological developments that allow the nearly unlimited collection and exchange of information on the Internet, cellular Internet and the Internet of Things (IoT), protecting privacy has become a vital right, and vulnerability, for individuals.

The growth of social networks, and their foundation in today’s economy, has led to a massive increase in the amount of data on the Internet. Miniaturization and the decline in the cost of storage and cloud services have generated the ability to store nearly unlimited amounts of data. Companies are collecting and analyzing vast amounts of personal data from different systems and sensors, like surfing habits, location, personal preferences, future plans, purchase patterns and almost anything – to build user profiles. Most of this data is collected without express permission, and for no particular reason other than for future commercial use.

On December 13, 2017 IUCC hosted a well-attended workshop on the new European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to protect personal privacy. The workshop was attended by dozens of university representatives, among them CISOs, computer center directors and legal counsels

The two-track program focused on operational issues related to databases that include personal data on EU residents like students and researchers. The second track, and to a degree the more complex, focused on issues related to datasets used by researchers that can contain personal data on EU residents.

The lecturers included Deborah Housen-Couriel, an attorney at Konfidas Ltd. and lecturer in the Law faculty of Hebrew University and IDC Herzliya, Ami Vered, a cyber engineer with Konfidas, and Jonathan Klinger, an attorney with the Digital Rights Movement and lecturer at the Holon Institute of Technology, David Yellin College and Ono Academic College. The panel included Avigayil Goldstein, a cyber researcher at IBM Research Labs, Moshe Glickstein, in charge of data protection at the Technion, Arye Schreiber, an attorney and CEO of MyEDPO and the lecturers from Konfidas.