EDEN panel at CPDP 2025 in Brussels

Join Europol experts, senior law enforcement agents and top academics for a panel on data protection in law enforcement at this year’s Computers, Privacy and Data Protection (CPDP) conference in Brussels.

Law enforcement Data Protection Officers face a myriad of challenges in their efforts to uphold privacy rights while ensuring effective policing. Some of the most pressing challenges include ensuring that only necessary data is collected for legitimate law enforcement purposes, and establishing protocols for the retention and deletion of data to prevent unnecessary storage and potential misuse.

Balancing the need to share data between law enforcement agencies for effective collaboration and intelligence-sharing while safeguarding against unauthorised access, data breaches, and potential violations of privacy laws are challenges that form part of the Data Protection Office’s (DPO) portfolio. The DPO assesses the ethical and legal implications of using advanced surveillance technologies such as facial recognition, drones, and biometric systems, including ensuring transparency, accountability, and compliance with privacy regulations. 

This year, Europol’s panel will address these challenges and elaborate on why a multifaceted approach is needed. The panellists will discuss how to combine robust policies and procedures, ongoing training and education, technological innovations, and collaboration with stakeholders including government agencies, privacy advocates, and the public to ensure effective policing in a challenging technological landscape.

Moderator: 

• Jekaterina Macuka, Director of Data State Inspectorate, Latvia 

Panellists:

• Michael Armstrong, Data Protection Officer, An Garda Síochána, Ireland
• Marjolein Louwerse, Data Protection Officer, Dutch Police, Netherlands
• Daniel Drewer, Data Protection Officer, Europol.

About the panel

Jekaterina Macuka is the Director of the Data State Inspectorate (DPA) of Latvia since 2020. Prior to this she worked for the Latvian Ministry of Justice Heading the Unit of Policy Development and Religious Affairs. In this capacity she advised in the EU Twinning Project with Moldova, working to raise data protection standards. She obtained her Master of Laws at the University of Latvia.

Michael Armstrong is a civil servant, working as Data Protection Officer for An Garda Síochána (AGS) since 2021. Prior to this role he worked as Head of the AGS Data Protection Unit, and previously in a number of roles in the Northern Ireland Civil. Service, including policy development roles in the Department for Employment and Learning (now the Department for the Economy) and the Department for Infrastructure, as well as other roles in the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Office of the Northern Ireland Executive in Brussels.

Marjolein Louwerse started working as a civil servant after studying Public Administration. In her previous position as a senior system supervision inspector at the Dutch Data Protection Authority, she worked, among other things, on improving contact with the DPOs. Now she is a DPO herself at the largest employer in the Netherlands: the Dutch Police.

Daniel Drewer, Europol’s Data Protection Officer, leads its Data Protection Function. With a Master of Law from the University of Hamburg, he began as a contract lawyer before joining Europol in 2003. He established the Confidentiality Desk and now oversees data protection compliance. Daniel founded the Europol Data Protection Experts Network (EDEN) and co-created the Data Protection Officer certification course at European Institute for Public Administration. He also serves on Europol’s AI Alignment Committee and the CEPOL Expert Group on Fundamental Rights.