Professor Joe Cannataci, Head of the Department of Information Policy & Governance and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Media & Knowledge Sciences at the University of Malta, was awarded the Louis D. Brandeis Award for Privacy on 7 June in Washington DC.
Prof. Cannataci, who is currently the UN's first Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy, has been chosen for this honour in recognition of his lifetime contribution to research and inter-governmental work leading to increased safeguards for privacy in health data and other sectors.
Previous recipients of the prestigious prize include the first European Data Protection Supervisor Peter Hustinx, former Federal German Data Protection Commissioner Peter Schaar and distinguished Harvard Professor Latania Sweeney. The award was presented to Prof. Cannataci by Senator Ed Markey, one of the leading US legislators with the longest-standing record in introducing privacy safeguards within American legislation.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, the first justice to interpret a constitutional right to privacy, was confirmed 100 years ago on the 2nd June. For the fifth year running, non-profit NGO Patient Privacy Rights has presented the Louis D. Brandeis Privacy Award which recognizes outstanding leadership in the field of health privacy. Each year, descendants of the influential U.S. Associate Justice are in attendance for this ceremony.
"Professor Cannataci is a global privacy thought leader and hero," says Dr. Deborah Peel, Founder and President of Patient Privacy Rights. "For more than 30 years, he has led collaborative research in privacy across cultures and continents. We can think of no more deserving recipient of this year's Louis D. Brandeis Privacy Award."
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Professor Joe Cannataci receiving the Louis D. Brandeis Privacy award from US Senator Ed Markey