{"id":4187,"date":"2026-05-20T14:48:55","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T12:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indico-global.eu\/?p=4187"},"modified":"2026-05-20T15:00:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T13:00:04","slug":"key-takeaways-from-indico-globals-webinar-on-gdpr-and-anonymisation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indico-global.eu\/fr\/2026\/05\/20\/key-takeaways-from-indico-globals-webinar-on-gdpr-and-anonymisation\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Principaux<\/figure>\n<\/div>

On 18 May 2026,\u00a0InDiCo-Global hosted\u00a0a webinar\u00a0marking a significant milestone: a decade since the adoption of the GDPR. The session \u2013\u00a0\u201cGDPR and Anonymisation: From Legislation to Technical Solutions and Standards Definition\u201d<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 brought together experts in consumer advocacy, legal practice, technical standardisation, and data consultancy to examine\u00a0how anonymisation is understood and applied in practice, and whether current approaches are keeping pace with technological change.\u00a0<\/p>

The discussion showed that\u00a0anonymisation\u00a0is not only a technical question. It sits at the\u00a0heart\u00a0of law, consumer protection,\u00a0organisational\u00a0responsibility, and\u00a0standards\u00a0development. While the GDPR\u00a0remains\u00a0deliberately technology-neutral, speakers highlighted that the lack of concrete guidance leaves both consumers and data controllers facing significant uncertainty.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

The\u00a0webinar\u00a0was welcomed and introduced by\u00a0Francesco Panella,<\/strong>\u00a0policy\u00a0analyst and consultant\u00a0at\u00a0Martel Innovate,<\/strong>\u00a0with\u00a0Xavier\u00a0Piednoir,\u00a0InDiCo-Global?s\u00a0project coordinator,\u00a0<\/strong>framing the session\u2019s core themes.\u00a0Xavier noted that data protection is not an EU-only\u00a0challenge but\u00a0reflects EU values that\u00a0InDiCo-Global\u00a0seeks\u00a0to embed in digital standards \u2013 and that\u00a0<\/strong>digital issues do not recognise borders.\u00a0<\/p>

A decade\u00a0on:\u00a0taking stock<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>

The session explored the historical relationship between the GDPR\u2019s development and data anonymisation practices of the time\u00a0\u2013\u00a0examining the extent to which legislation and technical innovation have evolved in step since. The answer, across perspectives, was mixed. The GDPR established a landmark framework, but its deliberately technology-neutral design\u00a0left critical implementation questions unresolved, and both legal and technical standards have struggled to keep pace with the evolving data landscape. As\u00a0Xavier\u00a0<\/strong>observed, ten years on, the field is still working through those same foundational questions.\u00a0<\/p>

Le point de vue des consommateurs<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>

Chiara Manfredini,\u00a0legal and\u00a0policy\u00a0officer\u00a0at the European Consumer Organisation\u00a0(BEUC),\u00a0<\/strong>representing\u00a0over 40 member groups, opened by underlining the power that sits within a single legal definition. The GDPR applies only when personal data is processed \u2013 meaning that without that classification,\u00a0the\u00a0protection\u00a0of\u00a0data\u00a0granted by the Regulation\u00a0does not apply.\u00a0La d\u00e9finition des donn\u00e9es \u00e0 caract\u00e8re personnel est le point de d\u00e9part de toute protection.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>

The GDPR does not explicitly define anonymous data, leaving the boundary between anonymous and pseudonymous data to case-by-case assessment.\u00a0The European Commission\u2019s Digital Omnibus proposal of November 2025\u00a0attempted\u00a0to bring clarity, but the\u00a0European Data Protection Board\u00a0and European Data Protection Supervisor\u00a0(EDPB\u00a0and EDPS)<\/a>\u00a0warned that\u00a0the proposed changes would\u00a0risk narrowing\u00a0the concept of personal data.\u00a0<\/p>

Le point de vue du responsable du traitement<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>

Dr. Magdalena G\u00f3ralczyk,\u00a0<\/strong>head of Data Protection\u00a0at\u00a0White Label Consultancy,\u00a0<\/strong>brought the controller\u2019s perspective to the table. Working primarily with large global organisations, she\u00a0observed\u00a0that companies and consumers are united by the same frustration:\u00a0the boundary between personal and anonymous data\u00a0remains\u00a0contested \u2013 both legally and technically.\u00a0<\/p>

The GDPR presents controllers with a binary system: either data is personal, and the full weight of the regulation applies, or it is anonymous, and the law does not apply at all. There is no middle ground, no intermediate framework, and no official guidance on what constitutes sufficient anonymisation. Controllers must make that determination themselves, daily, with serious legal consequences if they get it wrong.\u00a0<\/p>

She outlined four categories of technical measures available:\u00a0<\/p>