Recommendations of the personal data protection office on safe use of video conferences

Video conferences gained practical significance during COVID-19 epidemic. However, the use of such a useful everyday work tool is not always carried out in a way that guarantees maximum protection of your own data and the data of all participants. We are still observing in practice that the participants of video conferences are not only unaware of the risks but also that these risks are ignored or neglected by companies whose employees within the organization, but also as part of communicating with external entities, use this tool. The companies do not often have internal procedures for video conferences implemented, and also they are omitted in the documentation and procedures prepared as part of the implementation of the broadly understood GDPR.

An interesting helpful tool in this case may be a set of guidelines prepared by the Personal Data Protection Office and published on 14.05.2020. They are available at the link: https://uodo.gov.pl/pl/138/1525.

The Personal Data Protection Office provides instructions on how to conduct video conference in a secure manner; including, among others, advices regarding the use of programs, applications and services to ensure an adequate level of personal data protection.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the above guidelines, all the more so because the Personal Data Protection Office itself will carry out the control and impose penalties on your company in case of violations of personal data protection.