European Data Act: New challenges for data protection officers in Germany

The European Data Act brings decisive changes for the handling of data in companies and public institutions. The aim is to ensure fair and transparent access to industrial data, promote innovation and strengthen data sovereignty. For data protection officers in Germany, this results in new responsibilities and areas of audit.

The Data Act requires companies to comply with clear, transparent and data protection-compliant rules when sharing data. This includes technical and organizational measures to ensure the security of personal data. Data protection officers must ensure that access to third-party data complies with the requirements of the GDPR and that no unauthorized processing takes place.

Close coordination between data protection, IT security and data management is particularly important. The balance between data use and data protection is becoming more complex, but also more promising. The Data Act therefore expands the scope of duties of data protection officers and requires proactive management of data protection risks in the context of the data economy.