Belgian Government Boosts Transparency with New Data Access Initiative
In a bid to boost transparency, the Belgian Federal Government has taken a significant step forward. Starting Tuesday, Belgians will now have the ability to see who has accessed their personal data that’s held by authorities and the context in which it was used. This move is part of the third phase of the “Operation Transparency,” an initiative led by Mathieu Michel, State Secretary for Digitalisation and Privacy, in cooperation with the FPS Policy and Support (BOSA).
The government will provide more details about the use of personal data on the website mydata.belgium.be. Here, citizens will be able to see which authority or institution received their data, the identity of the authority or institution that sent it, and the date of consultation. The category of data is also indicated on the platform. However, for now, only data that passes through the federal service integrator, BOSA, can be viewed.
While this initiative is a positive move towards transparency, it’s worth noting that not all data consultations are included. Those that don’t pass through BOSA or are part of a judicial or police investigation are not accessible. Despite this, Mathieu is hopeful that this operation will help build trust between citizens and government departments over the use of data.
The final stage of “Operation Transparency” will provide citizens with an overview of their personal data held in different authentic sources and the reasons why it’s held there. This move is expected to promote a sense of openness and trust, further bridging the gap between citizens and the government.
Source: Belgian citizens can now see who accessed their personal data, and why
