Office of committee for PDPA set up to prepare

Office of committee for PDPA set up to prepare

Stakeholder support priority for office

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak chairs a committee on Monday handling procedures related to the Personal Data Protection Act. (Bangkok Post photo)
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak chairs a committee on Monday handling procedures related to the Personal Data Protection Act. (Bangkok Post photo)

The Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry launched the office of a committee on Monday handling procedures related to the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), which is scheduled to come into force May 2020.

Under the act, a Personal Data Protection Committee will be established. Recruitment has started and board members are expected to be appointed by a committee next year.

The PDPA was published in the Royal Gazette in May this year, but a one-year grace period is allowed for stakeholders to adjust.

The PDPA aligns with the standards of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

DES Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta said the committee's office will be established on the seventh floor of the Government Complex's Building B, with Vunnaporn Devahastin, permanent secretary for DES, serving as acting secretary-general of the office.

Mr Buddhipongse said ensuring all stakeholders clearly understand the PDPA is important for businesses to operate legitimately as well as to protect the rights of individuals.

As the law will not be enforced until May next year, many companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), have yet to prepare for the law, he said.

To boost understanding about the legislation, the DES Ministry will organise a seminar titled "PDPA-Privacy for All" on Oct 10. Ideas from the discussion will be drawn into a guidebook for directions corporations should follow regarding the law.

Mr Buddhipongse said about 1,000 representatives from relevant parties are expected to attend the seminar, which will be held at Centara Hotel at the Government Complex.

State agencies, SMEs, and the finance, healthcare, tourism, industry and technology sectors are expected to participate in the event.

"The guidebook will have details regarding updated information in the act, and practices for personal data storage and transfer," he said.

The Digital Fund Committee approved a 2-billion-baht budget for new digital-related projects.

The committee was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.

Interested parties are allowed to lodge project proposals with the committee from today until Oct 31.

The projects must concern fintech, heath tech, government tech, innovation tech, agriculture tech, digital ventures and manpower.

The digital fund, which was set up under the DES Act, is mainly funded by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, which makes earnings through spectrum auction and annual fees from telecom operators.

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