Data Protection Challenges in Educational System

On February 6th, 2023, the Albania Sustainable Development Organization (ASDO), in cooperation with the Information and Data Protection Commissioner, with the support of the Swiss Embassy in Albania, organized an open meeting with the topic:

Data Protection Challenges in the Educational System

The meeting brought together the Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences Prof. Dr. Spiro Dushku, the Head of the Informatics Department Prof. Asoc. Dr. Endri Xhina, Commissioner for Information and Data Protection Mr. Besnik Dervishi, Expert on Personal Data Mr. Emirjon Marku, as well as professors and students from the Department of Informatics, and representatives of the Albanian Center for Sustainable Development (ASDO).

The “Cyber Security and Data Protection” project, supported by the Swiss Embassy in Albania, is being implemented as a response to the latest personal data and cyber security attacks in the country. The aim of this project is “To increase the awareness of the general public and interest groups on personal data protection and cyber security.”

Universities handle large amounts of personal data, thus making them vulnerable to cyber attacks such as ransomware and data leaks. By increasing the education on data protection and cybersecurity we can contribute in appeasing the risks related to such attacks and safeguarding the identities and safety of staff and students. Promoting knowledge in the field is essential in creating stronger and more resilient institutions and as such universities are essential in providing interdisciplinary and updated methodologies in their lessons. It is also important to build bridges of collaboration among universities, governmental institutions and independent entities such as organizations and think tanks in order to create sustainable plans in preventative measures towards cyber attacks and data protection.

The meeting started with a welcoming message from the Executive Director of the Albania Sustainable Development Organization (ASDO) Ms. Ada Ilia, bringing to focus the aim of the project, as well as the purpose of the meeting. Then a welcoming message was shared by the Dean of the Faculty Prof. Dr. Spiro Dushku and the Head of the Informatics Department Prof. Asoc. Dr. Endri Xhina. They both emphasized the need for adapting the teaching material, as well as the need to cooperate with the private sector, national institutions, NGO-s, national and international experts. They also expressed their willingness in creating a new Masters of  Science in Cybersecurity and Data Protection as future professionals coming from this degree will be very sought after in the Albanian market, both by public institutions and private entities.

Afterwards the Information and Data Protection Commissioner Mr. Besnik Dervishi, emphasized the necessity for cooperation and interaction between public and private data controllers in order to fully guarantee the citizen’s right to be provided with safe services. Another important aspect was the adoption and the addressing of the GDPR regulation and the new draft-law in Albania regarding the protection of personal data.

Then the meeting proceeded with a presentation from the Data Protection Expert Mr. Emirjon Marku, regarding the legislation on data protection, by bringing cases and engaging the audience in bringing their own perspective and thoughts on the real-life challenges that they might face as future professionals.

In the end, there was a session of questions and answers, where some of the main topics addressed were:

• The need for the staff and students to get more trainings in the protection of personal data
• The collaboration of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner with the academic institutions and lately but not lastly
• The role of the universities in overseeing and safeguarding their student’s personal data