The number of personnel grew, the organisation was renewed

During 2019, the number of personnel in the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman increased to 46 people. When the Finnish Data Protection Act entered into force, two Deputy Data Protection Ombudsmen, Jari Råman and Anu Talus, were appointed to the Office.

The organisational structure of the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman was also renewed. Three customer service teams were established in the Office; as a rule, one of them focuses on private sector and cross-border matters, the second on public sector and nationally processed matters and the third on matters related to the Data Protection Law Enforcement Directive and the Act on the Processing of Personal Data in Criminal Matters and in Connection with Maintaining National Security. In addition to administration, advisory and registry services have been centralised in the Administrative Unit. The Joint Functions team includes the IT senior specialists, communications and the Data Protection Officer.

In addition, process teams have been formed in the Office; they coordinate practices related to certain types of issues, such as personal data breaches, rights of the data subject, impact assessment and corrective powers.

The increase in the number of personnel of the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman also affected the need for space. A project to find new premises was started during the year, and the Office moved to new premises in Lintulahti, Helsinki, in the spring of 2020.

Statistics on human resources and finances on page 9 of the annual report (pdf)