Privacy and data protection are vitally important in today’s (digital) society. Companies and public authorities gather, store and share personal data with one another on an enormous scale. The legislation that governs this processing is complex. Not only the Dutch Personal Data Protection Act or specific sectoral legislation, but also a number of European regulations and directives must be taken into account.
GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) replaced the Personal Data Protection Act in 2018. Companies and public authorities have since then had to comply with strict obligations. We have been closely involved in various projects aimed at making organisations GDPR-proof. Pels Rijcken’s Privacy team can advise you on the changes your organisation needs to implement in order to comply with the GDPR. You can also turn to us for drawing up data processing agreements and for developing a privacy policy. We can assist you in integrating privacy and data protection into your organisation.
The role of privacy in new technologies
Privacy law is continually developing. New technologies, such as Big Data, Cloud computing and Blockchain, have led to new privacy issues. Our privacy team keeps a close eye on digitalisation and developments in technology. We advise public authorities and companies on how they can safeguard the privacy of citizens or clients when implementing these new technologies.
Privacy Impact Assessments
We also regularly conduct Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs). In a PIA, our privacy specialists identify the legal issues and risks involved in the intended processing, and propose appropriate solutions in consultation with the client. This makes it possible to identify privacy infringements at an early stage and prevent them. The GDPR means that a PIA is mandatory in certain cases, for example in the event of large-scale processing of medical records or profiling.
Duty to report data leaks
Pels Rijcken’s privacy team specialises in advising and litigating in the area of privacy and data protection. But their work is not limited to the GDPR: our privacy attorneys have extensive experience in issues related to the processing of medical records, tax records, and police and judicial records. You can call on us not only for advice, but also for legal representation. Our privacy attorneys regularly represent organisations in disputes about privacy or data protection. Examples include disputes about applications for inspection, the (unlawful) provision of data or processor agreements.
Recommendations
- "Pels Rijcken's lawyers have thorough knowledge and links to the academic world that we appreciate." - Chambers Europe, 2024
- "The team are easy to work with, know the public sector very well, and are always nice to work with." - Chambers Europe, 2024
- "Pels Rijcken's team are up to date, quick, spot on and have an eye for the necessary details." - Chambers Europe 2023
- "The team are able to consider the wider picture in matters." - Chambers Europe 2023
- "Strong privacy and IT team with solid and broad knowledge on this topic. Also has good connections in these fields." - The Legal 500, 2022
- "Swiftness in handling. Smart and practical solutions to problems. Good knowledge of procedural aspects." - The Legal 500, 2022
