EDPS-IPEN Privacy by Design Contest for Mobile Health (mHealth) Applications

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), in partnership with the Data Protection Authorities of Austria, Ireland and Schleswig-Holstein and supported by the Internet Privacy Engineering Network (IPEN), is pleased to announce the launch of the EDPS-IPEN Privacy by Design contest for mobile Health (mHealth) applications.

This initiative aims at promoting privacy engineering through the demonstration of a mHealth application implementing the “privacy by design and by default” principles, in order to create best practices that may constitute a reference for privacy-friendly development of mobile apps.

The Challenge to Solve

The sector of mHealth has rapidly expanded in recent years. Undoubtedly, mHealth apps may lead to benefits in the life of individuals, lowering the cost of healthcare, empowering the control of patients over own healthcare, granting an immediate access to medical care and information online and providing new insights for medical research through the use of large amount of personal data.

At the same time, processing such data at large scale and over connected devices may reduce users’ control over their personal information and risks being misused and adversely affect users' interests and fundamental rights. This is magnified by the mobile apps ecosystem, which so far has not given evidence of effective protection of personal data and integration of the principles of privacy by design and by default.

Filling this gap is of utmost importance and urgent. Healthcare providers and developers should therefore accept this challenge and consider the protection of privacy and personal data as a priority, especially after the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU.

Contestants are challenged to develop a useful and user-friendly mHealth application at the forefront of the implementation of the data protection by design and by default principle, as required under the GDPR.

The contest is now open to any legal entity (including natural persons) or group of legal entities established in an EU Member State.

Prizes

Two applications will be awarded prizes.

The application ranking as first in the selection will be awarded EUR 20 000.

The application ranking as second in the selection will be awarded EUR 10 000.

Both winners will have the opportunity to present their projects at the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (ICDPPC), which will take place in Brussels the last week of October 2018.

Timetable

  • Opening for submissions: 30 April 2018
  • Deadline for submissions: 3 August 2018 at 17.00 Central European Summer Time (CEST)
  • Evaluation period: September 2018
  • Possible project demonstration: September-October 2018
  • Award decision: end of September-mid October 2018
  • Prize Award ceremony: side event at the International Conference of Privacy and Data Protection Commissioners 2018, last week of October 2018, in Brussels

For further information, please visit:
https://edps.europa.eu/data-protection/our-work/ipen/edps-ipen-privacy-design-contest-mobile-health-mhealth-applications_en

About European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS)

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) is the European Union’s (EU) independent data protection authority.

Our general mission is to:

  • monitor and ensure the protection of personal data and privacy when EU institutions and bodies process the personal information of individuals;
  • advise EU institutions and bodies on all matters relating to the processing of personal information. We are consulted by the EU legislator on proposals for legislation and new policy developments that may affect privacy;
  • monitor new technology that may affect the protection of personal information;
  • intervene before the Court of Justice of the EU to provide expert advice on interpreting data protection law;
  • cooperate with national supervisory authorities and other supervisory bodies to improve consistency in protecting personal information.

Most Popular Now

Digital ECGs at Barts Health: A High-Imp…

Opinion Article by Dr Krishnaraj Sinhji Rathod, consultant in interventional cardiology, Barts Health NHS Trust. Picture the moment. A patient in an ambulance, enroute to hospital with new chest pain. Paramedics...

Study Sheds Light on Hurdles Faced in Tr…

Implementing artificial intelligence (AI) into NHS hospitals is far harder than initially anticipated, with complications around governance, contracts, data collection, harmonisation with old IT systems, finding the right AI tools...

Using Deep Learning for Precision Cancer…

Altuna Akalin and his team at the Max Delbrück Center have developed a new tool to more precisely guide cancer treatment. Described in a paper published in Nature Communications, the...

New AI Approach Paves Way for Smarter T-…

Researchers have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle one of the most complex challenges in immunology: predicting how T cells recognize and respond to specific peptide antigens...

Study Used AI Models to Improve Predicti…

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a complex condition marked by a gradual decline in kidney function, which can ultimately progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Globally, the prevalence of the...

AI-Powered CRISPR could Lead to Faster G…

Stanford Medicine researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to help scientists better plan gene-editing experiments. The technology, CRISPR-GPT, acts as a gene-editing “copilot” supported by AI to help...

Groundbreaking AI Aims to Speed Lifesavi…

To solve a problem, we have to see it clearly. Whether it’s an infection by a novel virus or memory-stealing plaques forming in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, visualizing disease processes...

AI Spots Hidden Signs of Depression in S…

Depression is one of the most common mental health challenges, but its early signs are often overlooked. It is often linked to reduced facial expressivity. However, whether mild depression or...