A New Dawn: Key Takeaways From The ODPC's Final Report

The Data Protection Commission ("DPC") recently published its "Final Report" (the "Report"). Rather than being the last such report we will see, the Report draws a line under the pre-GDPR data protection regime (relating only to the period from 1 January to 24 May 2018) and brings to a close 30 years of the "ODPC", heralding the new era of the DPC and the increased powers and responsibilities it now bears.¹

Preparation

As is unsurprising, much of the content of the Report relates to the preparatory work undertaken by the DPC in advance of 25 May 2018. This work was not just internal to the DPC itself – as is clear from Helen Dixon's introduction, the DPC was very proactive in helping both organisations and the public to prepare for the GDPR through consultations, awareness-raising and, as a specific example, visiting San Francisco and the Bay Area to meet companies seeking to comply with GDPR in order to understand their concerns and priorities.