The Information Commissioner will welcome more than 800 data protection officers to Manchester today for what he will describe as a “decisive moment for the data protection sector”.

The sixth annual Data Protection Officer Conference is the biggest yet, with a record number of participants. The keynote speaker will be the European Commission’s Françoise Le Bail, who will talk about the EU proposals to reform the data protection regime.

Introducing the event, Information Commissioner Christopher Graham will say:

“An old Chinese curse says ‘may you live in interesting times’. Ladies and gentlemen, we are condemned to live in interesting times. Data protection is centre stage, with data driving so much of what we all do and how we all do it. In Europe, the greatest reform to data protection law in two decades is in prospect, while at home Lord Justice Leveson’s report on media standards signals more change still. This conference can rarely have fallen at such a decisive moment for the data protection sector.

“Today sees the ICO launch our corporate plan for the next three years, a plan that reflects the challenges of interesting times. Our central purpose remains unchanged: upholding information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals. But with information rights so clearly in the spotlight, our focus needs to be clear and steady: staying alert and relevant, anticipating trends and responding to developments.

“Interesting times, but of course lean times too. The ICO has to be efficient and effective and maximise value for money. We have also to work together with partners, customers and other regulators to deliver the biggest result for our limited and stretched resources.”

“There is much important work to do. And it’s not just information rights that are in the spotlight. The ICO’s role and performance will be under scrutiny as well, as we seek to meet the challenges and deliver on our plan – always ready to learn and always looking to do even better.”

The event, held at the Manchester Central Convention Complex, features speeches and seminars on topics including surveillance, anonymisation, technology and access to public and private sector data. There will also be an ‘Information Market’, with exhibitions to raise awareness of influential organisations, panels and groups.

You can follow the event throughout the day on our Twitter feed through #dpoc2013 or @iconews, where we’ll be posting key comments, pictures and video clips. Tomorrow, our Storify page will give a full picture of the day.

The ICO corporate plan details the strategic outcomes the ICO is seeking and how the ICO intends to achieve these over the next three years. It is reviewed annually, with public consultation.

View the ICO plan 2013-16

http://www.ico.gov.uk/news/latest_news/2013/~/media/documents/library/Co...