The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, alongside other data protection and privacy authorities from around the world, has today published an open letter to video teleconferencing companies, reminding them of their data protection obligations.

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a sharp uptake in the use of video teleconferencing software, increasing risks around the collection and use of personal information. The open letter provides video teleconferencing companies with principles to help them identify and address some of the key privacy risks, and better protect people’s personal information.

The open letter is signed by six authorities brought together through the Global Privacy Assembly’s International Enforcement Cooperation Working Group. The six authorities are the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority as Information Commissioner, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, the Switzerland Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner and the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.

The letter is intended for all video conferencing companies, but has also been sent directly to Microsoft, Cisco, Zoom, House Party and Google.

A copy of the letter is available at https://www.gra.gi/data-protection/press-release/open-letter-to-video-teleconferencing-companies