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Channel Islands urged to invest in data protection as number of complaints rise

Credit: Dominic Lipinski PA Wire/PA Images

Jersey and Guernsey's governments are being urged to invest more in data protection.

The Channel Island's data protection regulator says there has been a rise in the number of complaints her team deals with.

52 were recorded in Jersey in 2016- up from 43 complaints in 2015.

The team, headed by Emma Martins, is currently leading the implementation of a new data protection law which comes into force from May 2018.

She said the complexity of cases are increasing and the necessary resources are needed to deal with the issue in the future.

We are at a turning point for data protection with it taking on a truly global significance. If the Channel Islands want to be considered as an attractive, well-regulated jurisdiction in this new data-driven world, we need a clear vision and roadmap to take us forward.

We want to make sure individuals are given appropriate rights and organisations are clear about how complying with their obligations benefits themselves, their clients and their island.

We also recognize that if we, as regulator, are requiring new governance standards of business, we need to apply those standards to ourselves.

This means significant reform and increased independence going forward, something we are working very hard on getting right.

– Emma Martins, Independent data protection regulator