On August 13, 2024, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it had published a report, titled 'Tackling Barriers to Privacy-Enhancing Technologies Adoption: A PETs Project Report.' In particular, the report analyses the challenges hindering the adoption of privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) and provides recommendations to foster responsible adoption of PETs across various sectors.

Challenges hindering the adoption of PETs

Specifically, the report identifies the following obstacles that prevent the widespread adoption of PETs:

• limited awareness and understanding by organizations of the risks and benefits associated with PETs;
• shortage of technical expertise, uncertainty about the maturity of PETs, and unclear cost-benefit analyses, which hinder the ability of organizations to integrate PETs into existing systems;
• regulatory uncertainty and ambiguity around the use of PETs for data protection compliance, particularly concerning the legal basis for data sharing and the status of data when using PETs; and
• information asymmetry between suppliers and users of PETs, leading to a risk-averse approach to their adoption, especially in compliance contexts.

Recommendations

The report offers the following recommendations aimed at various stakeholders to enhance the adoption of PETs:

• for the PETs industry, the report encourages technology providers to collaborate with data-sharing organizations to ensure seamless integration of PETs into existing systems, communicate the compliance benefits of PETs, and use straightforward pricing models;
• for funding bodies, the report recommends backing pilot projects in specific sectors to serve as proof of concept;
• data-sharing organizations are advised to work with the PETs industry and standards bodies to explore certification schemes that demonstrate compliance and to share knowledge with experienced private sector entities;
• data protection authorities are encouraged to provide guidance on the use of PETs for compliance, including their suitability for international data transfers and their applicability for anonymization techniques; and
• training and certification bodies are urged to collaborate with the PETs industry to identify skills gaps and incorporate PETs into their curricula.

You can read the announcement here and the report here.