Data Privacy Day - NetApp comment
January 2022 by Adrian Cooper, Field CTO, UK Public Sector, at NetApp
Data Privacy Day, the comment from Adrian Cooper, Field CTO, UK Public Sector, at NetApp a Cloud-led, data management company in which he discusses the importance of data privacy from a public sector viewpoint.
“Over the past two years, the public sector has played an increasingly important role in people’s lives. High profile apps like the ones published by the NHS and COVID passport have been one of the key tenants of the Government’s response to COVID-19 and have relied on individuals giving permission for their personal data to be shared with authorities. Emboldened by the perceived success of some aspects of this response, the Government is using the National Data Strategy and planned review of Britain’s data protection regime to set out a strategy that would see sharing of data within government more commonplace.
As citizens, this has the promise of more streamlined digital experiences and less paperwork and bureaucracy. However, it is vital that public trust is maintained, and authorities are transparent about how and where personal data is being used. As in all facets of life, data will play an increasingly important role across all aspects of the public sector and it is positive to see the government setting out bold ambitions that has data as a key enabler of innovation, rather than something which represents a challenge.
The formation last year of the Central Digital and Data Office to work alongside the Government Digital Service (GDS) in setting out the strategy and professional development of DDaT (Digital, Data and Technology) functions across departments, and the recent appointments of a new government CTO and Chief Data Officer is a significant move. It will be exciting to witness the impact this more data-centric approach will have over the coming months and years.