APPA Forum Concludes... "Personal Information, Finding a Balance Between 'Protection and Utilization' for International Standardization"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The Personal Information Protection Commission announced that the '55th APPA Forum' held from the 16th to the 18th was successfully concluded. APPA is a consultative body of personal information supervisory authorities in the Asia-Pacific region, with 19 institutions from 12 countries including Korea, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Macau sharing personal information policies and trends.

At this forum, various issues were discussed to effectively respond to the increasing importance of personal information protection and safe utilization in the post-COVID-19 and digital transformation era, and the experiences and policy know-how of each institution were shared.

Participants from 19 countries agreed that while the use of sensitive information such as personal health data is inevitable in the new normal society caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, protective measures such as minimal data collection and retention period limitations are necessary.

They also reached a consensus on the need for close communication between government agencies and the industry regarding personal information protection and utilization, as the use of new technologies increases with the transition to a digital economy.

Furthermore, in the digital environment where cross-border data movement is rapidly increasing, there was a shared recognition that each country's personal information legislation must ensure alignment with global norms. Additionally, there was agreement on the need to strengthen the authority of personal information supervisory bodies, as seen recently in Korea where the Personal Information Protection Commission was elevated to ministerial level through legal amendments.

On the first day of the forum, the 16th, following the opening ceremony, regular reports from the APPA Executive Committee, working group activity reports, country trend reports, and personal information breach notification status reports were conducted. On the second day, the 17th, ▲Artificial Intelligence ▲Digital Identity ▲Global Consultative Body Trends ▲Child Personal Information Protection topics were presented and discussed. The Singapore Commission shared cases of AI Bots (artificial intelligence programs), while the Macau and Hong Kong Commissions shared cases such as the 'Digital Identity Construction Project'.

On the third day, the 18th, ▲Biometric Information ▲Personal Information Protection in the Post-COVID Society ▲Digital Economic Development and Personal Information Protection and Utilization ▲Measures to Enhance International Interoperability in the Field of Personal Information Protection were presented and discussed. First, the New Zealand and Macau Commissions introduced their countries' use cases of facial recognition technology, and in the subsequent sessions, the countries reached a consensus that while the use of personal information is inevitable for rapid COVID-19 pandemic response, personal information processing principles must be guaranteed.

Additionally, attendees agreed to continue efforts to communicate with the industry from the policy-making stage regarding regulatory environment changes due to digital economic development. They also established a framework for discussions to develop international standards in the personal information field, including proposing the development of an international personal information protection and utilization index. The three-day forum successfully concluded with the adoption of the joint statement of the 55th APPA Forum and closing remarks by Yoon Jong-in, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission.

In his closing remarks, Chairperson Yoon Jong-in urged, “Each institution should reflect the shared vision and cooperation plans from this forum in their policies to find a balance between personal information protection and utilization and strive to internationalize these norms.” The heads of institutions from each country agreed to further develop the agenda discussed at this forum and to strengthen international solidarity and cooperation regarding personal information protection and utilization.