Alexandra Jaspar, one of the five directors at the Data Protection Authority (DPA), resigns over a ‘lack of independence’. That writing The Time, le Soir on La Libre Belgique. It has been rumbling at the top for a long time.
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‘I have done everything to prevent the conflict of interest and the lack of integrity, but everyone lets go. I don’t want to be complicit in this,” said Alexandra Jaspar about her resignation. Jaspar’s service – the Knowledge Center – screens bills for privacy issues and ensures that citizens’ personal data is protected. But according to Jaspar, her service cannot function because some members have double hats. The corona crisis exacerbated the conflicts.
The Data Protection Authority had a lot of work to do with the contact investigation and the Covid Safe Ticket. Views on this differ widely. The pragmatic attitude of the Dutch-speaking administrators in setting up the contact investigation was not appreciated. French-speaking members of the GBA made more fundamental objections about the privacy aspects of contact tracing.
But Jaspar also believes that her service is being opposed by chairman and director David Stevens. Last year it was already over arms between them. According to Jaspar, Stevens maintains close contacts with government members and as a result the privacy watchdog is less strict with government institutions.
The GBA is governed by five directors, with a rotating presidency. This structure encourages conflict, critics note. Jaspar does find support from the European Commission. He already rapped our country on the fingers and stated that ‘some members are not free from outside influence’. The role of top civil servant Frank Robben is sensitive. He is a member of the Knowledge Center, but Jaspar accuses him of a conflict of interest. In addition to his advisory role at the GBA, he is also a director of government social security platforms.
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