Today, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection and Propulsion at the "Leaders of Responsible and Honorable Business" meeting, within the New Literacy Program, which they are implementing in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The organization of the meeting was also supported by the Corporate Compliance Association.
The goal of the cooperation is the development and improvement of media and digital literacy, as well as the business entities' responsibility in creating a safer business environment, both for the economy and for citizens.
Commissioner Marinović thanked the organizers who recognized the institution of the Commissioner as one of the important actors in the development of digital literacy and expressed their readiness to support his work through the "New Literacy" program.
‘The development of new technologies, but unfortunately also the pandemic caused by the coronavirus, has increased the supply and demand of various goods and services in the digital sphere, but such an environment, along with a lack of knowledge, also brings various risks. The Commissioner is working intensively to raise the awareness of both citizens and data controllers -in various institutions and business entities. We welcome and appreciate those companies that have appointed their data protection officers and fulfilled their legal obligation on the one hand, while increasing the data protection of citizens on the other hand. The Commissioner recognizes these individuals’ need to be educated and through the organization of trainings we are trying to improve their knowledge and provide help in their work. We also encourage persons for the protection of personal data to unite, exchange experiences and jointly solve challenges in their work,’ said Milan Marinovic, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection. ;
‘The continuum of the online and offline world in which we live is the basic issue of the New Literacy program. What our digital choices mean, how data is managed, to whom we leave it, and from whom we hide it, are the topics on which our cooperation with the Commissioner will be based. What the Commissioner is doing deserves significant discernibility, citizen and business engagement, and general public support, so we are proud to work with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support the Commissioner's efforts and help our society reach a new digital and security level, ‘ says Darko Sokovic, director of the New Literacy program.
During the meeting, PwC representative Adel Abusara presented the results of the study on the strategic raising of awareness on the importance and risks in the field of cyber security, also emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive approach to this topic in the Republic of Serbia and that raising awareness on cyber security should be a joint task of both public and private sector but also of the academic community and the civil sector.
The organizers also presented the concept of "Ambassadors of responsible business" with the intention to contribute to the improvement of responsible and harmonized digital business in Serbia and understanding of digital rights and obligations in our society.
In the end, Commissioner Milan Marinović commented on the drafting of the new Strategy for Personal Data Protection for the period from 2022 to 2029, emphasizing that this document will regulate the rights and responsibilities of all actors in personal data protection and thus improve the exercise of this right in real and in an online environment.
