FDPIC signs first MoU with foreign supervisory authority
The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC), Adrian Lobsiger, and his United Kingdom counterpart, John Edwards, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This is the first time that Switzerland’s data protection supervisory authority has entered into an agreement of this type.
The MoU was signed on 18 September at the Global Privacy Assembly, which this year is being held in Seoul, South Korea. Both the United Kingdom and Switzerland have a level of data protection equivalent to that of the member states of the European Union.
By signing the MoU, the two heads of their respective national data protection supervisory authorities aim to encourage and intensify their cooperation. This includes the discussion of experiences and best practices as well as cooperation in international groups and forums.
The Federal Act on Data Protection of 25 September 2020 provides for the FDPIC to cooperate with foreign data protection authorities. The MoU with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the first that the FDPIC has concluded with a foreign data protection supervisory authority. The MoU does not impose any legally binding obligations on the two supervisory authorities.