Former UK information commissionerRichard Thomasis to join an international data
privacy and information management think tank.
Thomas will be a strategic adviser to the
Centre
for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL) in the organisation's
London office from next month.
The Washington-based CIPL was founded in 2001 by international
privacy law firm Hunton &
Williams.
Thomas's principal role will be to work with the CIPL's privacy
practitioners to develop new perspectives on privacy protection and
the management of data risk.
As UK information commissioner, Thomas reported directly to
parliament on a range of data and privacy issues from 2002 until
his retirement in June this year.
"He will provide a crucial regulator's view on the effective
management of cross-border data flows as well as emerging privacy
issues such as cloud computing and e-discovery," said Lisa Sotto,
an executive member of CIPL.
The difficulties faced by national laws in coping with the
challenges of cross-border activity accelerate the need for new
thinking, said Thomas.
"Privacy and data protection have moved centre stage, but many
laws have got left behind in the last century," he said.