Mireia Paulo became member of the “Data Free Flow with Trust” Expert Community at the OECD
Since April 2024, Mrs. Mireia Paulo has become a member of the “Data Free Flow with Trust” (DFFT) Expert Community at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
This community supports the OECD’s Digital Policy Committee (DPC) and its Working Party on Data Governance and Privacy (WPDGP) in its diverse policy work to build trust in the global data ecosystem and facilitate data flows, a policy objective commonly referred to as Data Free Flow with Trust (DFFT).
The newly established Expert Community aims to enhance global cooperation on data flows, addressing key policy challenges and fostering a trustworthy environment for data sharing.
Background and Context
The OECD has facilitated global co-operation on the different dimensions of data flows for over forty years, including in sensitive areas like health, finance, and national security. It provides a unique forum for standard-setting, international dialogue, as well as policy research and analysis.
Today, the OECD covers data topics as diverse as open finance, cross-border payments, regulatory cooperation, health data governance, and the use of the most advanced privacy enhancing technologies to support data sharing in artificial intelligence.
The increased recognition of data as a strategic asset and input for economic and social activity presents an opportunity for OECD to expand its work programme on topics related to data flows and affirm global leadership in this area.
Data Free Flow with Trust DFFT (DFFT) is also a key priority for Japan under its 2023 G7 Presidency, as reflected in the G7 Hiroshima Summit where G7 Leaders endorsed the G7 Digital and Tech Ministers’ “Vision for Operationalising DFFT and its Priorities” including the establishment of an “Institutional Arrangement for Partnership” (IAP). The G7 Digital and Tech Ministers Declaration further stated that “the attributes of the OECD and its existing work in the areas of data governance, privacy, DFFT, and digital economy make it well-suited to advance this international effort” [of developing the IAP] (Annex on G7 Vision for Operationalising DFFT and Its Priorities).
At the 92 Session of the Committee on Digital Economy Policy (renamed as DPC) delegates discussed and expressed overall support for establishing this Expert Community to further support the OECD in the development of concrete solutions for DFFT.
References for Recent DPC Work Related to DFFT
Legal Instruments
- The OECD Privacy Guidelines
- The Recommendation of the Council on Cross-border Cooperation in the Enforcement of Laws Protecting Privacy [OECD/LEGAL/0352]
- The Recommendation on Enhancing Access to and Sharing of Data (joint with the Scientific and Technological Policy and Public Governance Committees) [OECD/LEGAL/0463]
- The Declaration on Government Access to Personal Data held by Private Sector Entities [OECD/LEGAL/0487]
Analytical Work
- A dedicated module on fostering cross-border data flows with trust in Phase III of the Going Digital Horizontal Project in cooperation with the Trade Committee (OECD, 2022).
- A report on Moving forward on data free flow with trust: new evidence and analysis of business experiences (OECD, 2023).
- The background paper for the CDEP Ministerial Meeting on Digital enablers of the global economy (OECD, 2022).
- The report on current regulatory and policy approaches to emerging privacy-enhancing technologies (OECD, 2023).
- The Review of the OECD Recommendation on Cross-Border Co-operation in the Enforcement of Laws Protecting Privacy (OECD, 2023).
