French Data Authority Praises Economic Benefits of Data Protection Officers
Data protection officers (DPOs) often bring economic benefits to companies, especially organizations with a positive approach to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance, French data authority CNIL said Wednesday, commenting on results of a survey. In addition, DPOs offer a host of other returns, including leverage to win contract tenders, avoidance of sanctions and data leakage and streamlined data management, it said.
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Not all companies with DPOs reap these benefits. The analysis showed that large enterprises and those most invested in GDPR compliance saw more economic benefits.
In some situations, the GDPR requires DPOs, which can lead to the perception that they're a constraint, CNIL said. But there are economic gains in GDPR compliance when it's used as an asset that plays a full-fledged role in a company's business model, it said.
"The investment made includes economic profitability: it is a real asset."
The watchdog recommended, among other things, that companies include DPOs at certain meetings of their executive committees to allow them to link compliance with strategy; and that they integrate GDPR compliance with corporate social responsibility strategy.
At the request of the French government, the Association for Adult Vocational Training conducted the survey of DPOs in January 2024. There were more than 3,600 respondents. CNIL also interviewed 10 DPOs that the French Association of Correspondent for the Protection of Personal Data chose. The association also confirmed the study's results, CNIL said.