A recent report summary produced by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (‘OECD’) highlighted that many countries are placing too much emphasis on developing their digital economies and are neglecting the privacy of individuals as a result. Drawing from surveys undertaken in most of the OECD’s 34 member countries, the OECD found that two-thirds of survey respondents are more concerned about their online privacy than they were last year and believe countries are not putting enough investment into dealing with these concerns.

Sophisticated technology offers numerous opportunities for individuals but also is very capable of causing disruption of, and intrusion to, their privacy. As Andrew Wyckoff, an OECD representative, emphasised, with the arrival of ‘big data’ and the Internet of Things, digital economies evolve so quickly that digital privacy and security must catch up. It is easy to talk about the potential that a growing digital industry offers a country’s economy, but investment and growth will only occur if consumers trust the technology enough to engage with it. Privacy and security are crucial to this.
Continue Reading Consumer Trust should be at the heart of the Digital Economy

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released Consumer Policy Guidance on Intangible Digital Content Products (Guidance) for protecting online consumers of digital content.

With the expansion of the Internet and mobile devices, digital content has grown considerably. The OECD recognizes that this has brought consumers considerable benefits, “including ready access to a wide

This post was written by Cynthia O’Donoghue.

The international free flow of information has become fundamental in a data-driven economy. Yet the increasingly extensive use and movement of personal data creates greater privacy risks for an individual’s digital data trail; and while nearly 99 countries worldwide have some form of data privacy laws, the