Data Privacy Day was celebrated yesterday with a stark reminder of how regimes and governments, as well as multinational and tech companies, have taken advantage of individuals’ personal information.

This year’s theme, “Take Control of Your Data”, aims to educate and empower residents to protect their personal information.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner said that the commemoration was topical given it fell almost a month after the enactment of the Personal Information Protection Act on January 1.

The event, which took place on the steps of City Hall, featured a keynote speech by Alexander White, the Privacy Commissioner, who urged Bermuda to embrace a culture of privacy and data protection.

Mr White reflected on the horrors of the mid-20th century when the Nazi regime used vital records to target individuals from certain populations.

He also referred to communist governments in Eastern Europe that tracked individuals’ speech and associations to intimidate or harm dissenters.

In 1981, various countries came together and created the Council of Europe’s Convention for the Protection of Individuals with Regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data, known as Convention 108, and have since been joined by signatories in Africa and South America.

Mr White said: “Convention 108 came about from the people who had witnessed these terrible tragic events. Leaders realised what harms could come from abuses of personal information.

“They realised that greater emphasis should be placed on privacy and data protection. In other words, people should be able to control information about themselves.”

He said that in the latter half of the century, personal data became commodified, with corporations, multinationals and other organisations coming to possess as much information relating to individuals as any government — and, in many cases, more.

“Technology and technology companies have become an integral part of our lives,” Mr White continued.

“Each company or third party has become involved in even the simplest of interactions like communications.

“Increasingly, the economic models on which large corporations are built relate to surveillance capitalism or the idea that these entities profit by observing consumers and influencing their behaviour.

“In time, we as a global society have learnt … that privacy is not only a fundamental right but it is an enabling right.

“Privacy enables democratic society to function by protecting freedom of assembly and secret ballots. Privacy enables our economies by providing the basis of trust in online commerce.

“Right now, each of us is being summarised into a profit that delivers personalised content and advertisements that shape our world view.”

Mr White spoke of the recent US holiday celebrating civil rights icon the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, “a champion of fairness, equality and the dignity of all people”.

Mr White said: “Privacy is an enabling right for each of these concepts.”

Charles Gosling, the Mayor of Hamilton, informed those gathered what measures have been taken at the Corporation of Hamilton to help it to comply with Pipa law.

These include reviewing processes, organising staff training and ensuring third-party compliance.

Mr Gosling said: “From mapping how personal data is collected and stored to updating organisational policies, we are committed to protecting the privacy of our staff and the public we serve.”

Angie Farquharson, the deputy privacy commissioner, said: “This theme empowers individuals and businesses to respect privacy and build trust. Individuals should know how their personal information is being used and organisations should know how to use the individuals’ personal information responsibly.

“Over 30 years ago, the average individual had to concern themselves with whether their neighbours were overhearing their home telephone conversations.

“Jump forward to today, individuals must be concerned about generative artificial intelligence and how organisations are tracking their shopping preferences, and sending out unsolicited e-mails, for example.”

She reminded the public that individuals can access, delete, correct or block the use of personal information by marketing companies.

Since 2020, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner has explained the history and importance of celebrating Data Privacy Day through a series of posts and events, including an interactive artificial intelligence workshop.

Last January, it launched its Road to Pipa implementation plan during Data Privacy Week 2024 and published a blog post on teaching young people how to use ChatGPT in a safe and ethical way.

In celebration of Data Privacy Day 2025, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner will be closed for business today. Usual operations will resume tomorrow.

• For tips on protecting personal information, visitwww.privacy.bm