The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the world has been catastrophic and it will be years for industries to recover from the disruptions caused by it.
However, the field of privacy and data protection are exceptions to this norm.
As work, school and health care appointments shifted to the digital format, a whole new slate of privacy issues emerged.
After this shift, privacy professionals continued to be in demand even as other industries scale back their hiring practices.
Regardless of the trajectory of the pandemic in 2021, these are the trends which are fuelling further growth of data protection and privacy management as a profession:
#1 – Remote work and virtual offices have increased cybersecurity threats
A website called Government Technology explains that 2020 brought in not just the COVID pandemic, but a cyber pandemic, with several global companies facing cyber attacks, which were captured in global headlines.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) website alone faced 5 times more attacks in 2020!
Vulnerability to attack in a remote work environment has increased because employees log in through the general internet through multiple networks and devices
#2 – Talent arbitrage is opening new doors for lawyers interested in performing data protection and privacy work
There is an increasing need to adhere to data protection systems of multiple jurisdictions for any global startups, tech companies and MNCs unless you do business in just one country.
There is also research, drafting and compliance work that can be delegated to international remote workers. This has created an unique opportunity for privacy professionals in the developing countries to do remote freelance work or full time work for advanced economies.
It is not necessary that an internal or external Data Protection Officer (DPO) or their staff must work in-premises, or be legally qualified to practice in the jurisdiction where the organization operates.
Of course, there can be issues related to international cross-border transfer of data, but as long as one is not processing or acting as a custodian of such data, foreign remote professionals can work in privacy and data management teams.
This opens up opportunities for young lawyers from economies in India, Africa, South Asia, etc. who are trained in global privacy and data protection laws, management principles and best practices and are familiar with multi-jurisdiction regulations.
#3 – International expansion and globalization has led to increased global regulation of data privacy
Universal internet penetration, affordable mobile devices, cheap broadband connectivity and then the pandemic have accelerated globalisation, but governments have been concerned about the free flow of data globally across the internet and the possible risks from it, which has led them to enact data protection legislations.
Since 2018, starting with the EU-General Data Protection Regulation, several economies of the world have enacted data protection legislations.
Brazil passed a data protection legislation in September 2020.
Canada is considering a new Digital Charter Implementation Act to replace its privacy law.
UK has enacted its own data protection law, largely modelled around EU GDPR, which is applicable post Brexit.
In the US, a new privacy law was introduced in November 2020.
Australia plans to complete a review of its privacy legislation in 2021.
China is considering a draft data protection legislation.
Several African countries have passed data protection and privacy legislations since around the 2010, even predating the EU GDPR.
#4 – Privacy awareness amongst users
Increased user awareness through various incidents such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal, Wikileaks, outcry against change in policies by Whatsapp and activity by groups such as American Civil Liberties’ Union on privacy has put pressure on companies to safeguard user privacy more diligently and on governments to enact and implement privacy legislations strictly.
Full-time privacy professionals are not going anywhere.
As the technology is evolving and more businesses are going online, the demand for privacy professionals is expected to increase exponentially.
If the phrase ‘early bird catches the worm’ applies to any field of law then it is the data privacy field.
If you join this field now, you are what they will call the ‘first generation lawyers’ of the data privacy area.
Are you wondering what skills will you need to make it big in this field?
What work do privacy attorneys do?
Where can you learn to do this work?
How can you grab opprtuntities in the data privacy field?
LawSikho is conducting a 3-day FREE online bootcamp on International career opportunities for lawyers in Data Protection, Privacy Management and Technology Law from 29-31 May, 6-9pm Indian Standard Time.
If you have already registered then don’t forget to save this event in your calendar now:
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What skills will you learn at this bootcamp
- How to take decisions on international data transfer to and from US, UK, Canada, EU, Singapore, Japan or other countries?
- How to draft a data processing contract/ addendum?
- How to draft a GDPR-compliant privacy policy for a website or mobile app and use it to get more assignments?
- How to conduct a GDPR impact assessment for a startup outside the European Union?
- How to draft a GDPR impact assessment report?
- How to create a GDPR project implementation plan?
- How to draft your agreement for engagement as a data protection officer?
FREE GIVEAWAYS
If you attend this bootcamp on all the 3 days then you will receive templates of the following documents in the form of PDF:
Day 1 – Data Processing Agreement/Addendum
Day 2 – GDPR Compliant Privacy Policy
Day 3 – 10 templates
- Personal Data Analysis Form
- Personal Data Flow Map
- Personal Data Asset Inventory List
- List of 3rd Party Processing Providers
- GDPR Impact Assessment Report Template
- GDPR Project Implementation Plan Template
- Cookie Policy
- DPO Agreement Template
- Checklist of Responsibilities of a DPO
- Compliance Checklist under California Consumer Privacy Act
These templates will help you kickstart your career in the field of data privacy lawyer.
Moreover it is FREE and you can attend it from any part of the world.
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