The role of information commissioner differs from nation to nation. Most commonly it is a title given to a government regulator in the fields of freedom of information and the protection of personal data in the widest sense. The office often functions as a specialist

ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

service.

Australia

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) has functions relating to freedom of information and privacy, as well as information policy. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner, which was the national privacy regulator, was integrated into the OAIC on 1 November 2010. There are three independent commissioners in the OAIC: the Australian Information Commissioner, the Freedom of Information Commissioner, and the Privacy Commissioner.

Bangladesh

The Information Commission of Bangladesh promotes and protects access to information. It is formed under the Right to Information Act, 2009, whose stated object is to empower the citizens by promoting transparency and accountability in the working of the public and private organizations, with the ultimate aim of decreasing corruption and establishing good governance. The Act creates a regime through which the citizens of the country may have access to information under the control of public and other authorities.

Canada

The Information Commissioner of Canada is an independent ombudsman appointed by the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada () is the Canadian federalism, federal legislature of Canada. The Monarchy of Canada, Crown, along with two chambers: the Senate of Canada, Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, form the Bicameral ...

who investigates complaints from people who believe they have been denied rights provided under Canada's ''

Access to Information Act The ''Access to Information Act'' (R.S., 1985, c. A-1) () or ''Information Act'' is a Canadian Act providing the right of access to information under the control of a federal government institution. As of 2020, the Act allowed "people who pay ...

''. Similar bodies at provincial level include the

Information and Privacy Commissioner (Ontario) Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpretation (perhaps Interpretation (log ...

Germany

The

Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI, ), referring to either a person or the agency they lead, is tasked with supervising data protection as well as acting in an ombudsman function in freedom of inf ...

(FfDF) is the federal commissioner not only for

data protection Data protection may refer to: * Information privacy, also known as data privacy * Data security {{Authority control ...

but also (since commencement of the German Freedom of Information Act on January 1, 2006) for freedom of information.

Hong Kong

The Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) is charged with education and enforcement of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance, which first came into force in 1997. The commissioner has the power to investigate and impose fines for violations. Reforms in 2021 gave it powers to investigate and prosecute suspected

doxxing Doxing or doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information about an individual or organization, usually via the Internet and without their consent. Historically, the term has been used to refer to both the aggregati ...

incidents.

India

The

Central Information Commission The Central Information Commission is a statutory body, set up under the Right to Information Act in 2005 under the Government of India to act upon complaints from those individuals who have not been able to submit information requests to a Ce ...

, and State Information Commissions, receive and inquire into complaints from anyone who has been refused access to any information requested under the

Right to Information Act Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theor ...

, or whose rights under that Act have otherwise been obstructed, for example by being prevented from submitting a data request or being required to pay an excessive fee.

Ireland

The Office of the Information Commissioner () in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

was set up under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 1997, which came into effect in April 1998. The Information Commissioner may conduct reviews of the decisions of public bodies in relation to requests for access to information. Since its creation, the office has been held simultaneously with that of the

Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

. The Information Commissioner also holds the role of Commissioner for Environmental Information. BOGIES

Switzerland

The

Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) is responsible to advise, educate and ensure the protection of personal data in Switzerland. It is established by the Federal Act on Data Protection and by the Federal Act on Freed ...

is responsible for the supervision of federal authorities and private bodies with respect to

data protection Data protection may refer to: * Information privacy, also known as data privacy * Data security {{Authority control ...

and

freedom of information legislation Freedom of information laws allow access by the general public to data held by national governments and, where applicable, by state and local governments. The emergence of freedom of information legislation was a response to increasing dissatis ...

United Kingdom

In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, the

Information Commissioner's Office The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is a non-departmental public body which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. It is the independent regu ...

is responsible for regulating compliance with the

Data Protection Act 2018 The Data Protection Act 2018 (c. 12) is a United Kingdom act of Parliament (UK) which updates data protection laws in the UK. It is a national law which complements the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and replaces the D ...

Freedom of Information Act 2000 The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (c. 36) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates a public right of access to information held by public authorities. It is the implementation of freedom of information legislation in t ...

and the

Environmental Information Regulations 2004 The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR), UK Statutory Instrument SI 2004 No. 3391, provide a statutory right of access to environmental information held by UK public authorities. The regulations came into force on 1 January 2005. ...

. The

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (asp 13) was an Act of the Scottish Parliament passed in 2002. It covers public bodies over which the Scottish Parliament has jurisdiction, fulfilling a similar purpose to the UK-level Freedom of Inf ...

is the responsibility of the

Scottish Information Commissioner The Scottish Information Commissioner () is responsible for the promotion and enforcement of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA) and thEnvironmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004Scottish EIRs). The current Scottish In ...

Other European States

All other countries of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

and the

European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...

have equivalent officials created under their versions of Directive 95/46. The Europa website gives links to such bodies around

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Cooperation among information commissioners

The Global Privacy Enforcement Network is a transnational organization for the coordination of privacy laws among its 59 member states and the European Union.

References

External links

List of national data protection authorities (European Union)

International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners

{{Portal bar, Law

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

Information privacy