Two new research studies, released by the Human Rights Monitoring Institute (HRMI), discuss perceptions of Lithuanian public towards the right to data protection and the readiness of Lithuanian business to implement the EU data protection reform.
“The Privacy Paradox: the Lithuanian Public’s Perceptions of Data Protection”. HRMI collaborated with “Spinter research” and carried out a representative survey of more than 1,000 Lithuanian residents in the July of 2016, asking about their understanding of the right to data protection, knowledge about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and remedies available in case of the data violations. “More than 6 out of 10 Lithuanians recognize that they are not aware of their rights and obligations in the data protection field and only 2 out of 10 Lithuanian residents have heard about the GDPR”, the study found. (read the study)
“The Preparedness of Lithuanian Business to Implement GDPR”. To assess the prevailing attitudes about data protection among business entities, HRMI conducted an exploratory survey o
f 50 Lithuanian companies asking about their data processing practices and awareness of the upcoming legal changes. According to the study, “the majority of the respondents were aware of the GDPR, but only 8% claimed knowledge about the new requirements being introduced. In the run-up to the implementation of the GDPR in Lithuania, most companies would like more information on the changes brought about by Regulation (98%.) and detailed advice on satisfying its requirements (94%) (Fig. 20). According to 80% of respondents, what would be most useful is help on technological solutions required by the Regulation.”(read the study)
The findings of the studies were discussed during the first in Lithuania Digital Rights Forum 2016.
