The 2023 Privacy Symposium, held from April 17 to 21 in Venice, dedicated its inaugural day to examining the impact and future of the Council of Europe’s Convention 108, a key treaty on privacy and data protection that has been integral to shaping national laws across 55 member states on four continents. The event featured a lineup of sessions and workshops aimed at discussing the enhancement of data protection and the facilitation of international data exchange under the modernized treaty, known as Convention 108+.
Argentina has officially become the 23rd country to ratify the amending protocol to Convention 108. The ratification was formalized in a ceremony at the symposium, with Beatriz de Anchorena, the Director of the Agency of Access to Public Information of Argentina, presenting the ratification documents. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Bjørn Berge.
The Privacy Symposium’s sessions will evaluate the advancements towards the enforcement of the protocol, which requires ratification by 38 states. Currently, 23 states have ratified it, and an additional 21 have signed with the intention to ratify.
The event commenced with notable speakers, including Nataša Pirc Musar, the President of Slovenia, and Deputy Secretary General Bjørn Berge. Hosted by the University of Ca’Foscari and sponsored by the Garante (Italian Data Protection Authority), the symposium convenes esteemed delegates from various governments and international entities, alongside leading experts, academics, and data protection authorities from around the world.