Data Protection Day 2026
On Tuesday, January 28, 2025, the Faculty of Law, Criminal Sciences, and Public Administration (FDCA) at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) is organizing a public conference dedicated to personal data protection. The event will take place at IDHEAP in Lausanne and is part of European Data Protection Day, celebrated annually on this date.
Rights & Freedoms Challenged by AI
This day will feature a series of presentations by academic, legal, and institutional experts on contemporary challenges in personal data protection. Topics covered will include, among others:
- Privacy challenged by AI agents and the economy of intention, with Dr. Murielle Popa-Fabre, NLP and ML expert at the Council of Europe and Senior Tech and Policy Advisor at the AI and Society Institute of the École Normale Supérieure-PSL
- Generative artificial intelligence in medicine: uses, promises, and limitations with Dr. Coralie Galland Decker, Physician at CHUV
- Universities in the age of LLMs: how can academic freedom and personal data protection be respected? With Mickael Salamin, Data Protection Officer at UNIL.
- Algorithms and AI versus fundamental rights and democracy? with Estelle Pannatier, Policy Manager at Algorithmwatch
In a context where the trust of customers, users, and partners increasingly depends on good governance of personal data, this conference will provide concrete and actionable guidelines for any SME wishing to secure its digital activities while respecting individual rights.
Digital governance faces the challenge of AI
Ethics, responsibility, and sovereignty in the face of the rise of digital tools are topics that we had the opportunity to explore in depth in 2025 with some of our guests, including Estelle Pannatier, as part of our #TechTalk meetings.
These discussions will help you pass the time until January 28 and focus more specifically on three topics:
- Digital law & IoT: practical case study on occupational health with Sophie Weerts, Professor at UNIL
- Ethics, a source of digital innovation with Johan Rochel, Co-founder of ethix
- International framework for more sustainable digital technology & prospects for Swiss SMEs with Estelle Pannatier, Advocacy Officer at AlgorithmWatch CH
