The Big Data Association, together with the AI Alliance Russia, held a discussion day called “Topical issues of data regulation and the development of depersonalization methods in Russia.”

The main purpose of the event was to provide its participants with an opportunity to exchange expert opinions on the most important issues of data regulation in the Russian Federation and, based on the findings, identify areas for further discussion as well as possible steps to develop the best possible balanced approach to solving problems in this area.

The discussion day was organized by the ABD and the AI Alliance Russia in partnership with the National Digital Economy Center of the Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Institute of the Information Society. The event was attended by representatives of state authorities as well as those of the business and scientific communities.

The discussion was moderated by Anna Serebryanikova, President of the Big Data Association, and Andrey Neznamov, Managing Director and Head of the AI Regulation Center at SberBank and Head of the Regulatory Working Group of the AI Alliance Russia.

The event was attended by representatives of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communication and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, ANO Digital Economy, the Analytical Center for the Government of the Russian Federation, the Institute of Internet Studies, the Academy of Cryptography of the Russian Federation, the Institute of Digital Environment Law at the Higher School of Economics, AI Alliance Russia companies, and members of the Big Data Association, as well as representatives of scientific organizations.

The discussion day was dedicated to current aspects of the depersonalization of personal data, which is a defining procedure for making data more accessible for the development of artificial intelligence technologies. Discussed at the event were international experience and jurisprudence concerning big data; international approaches to regulating data depersonalization; the safety of artificial intelligence systems and depersonalization methods; possible depersonalization models; and international and national data standards as well as the national data policy in the Russian Federation, including existing problems, gaps, and prospects in this area.

The leitmotif of the discussion was the idea that initiatives connected with the use and regulation of depersonalized data are primarily designed to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Anna Serebryanikova, President of the Big Data Association, said: “The key value of depersonalized data is that it can significantly improve the safety of citizens and their personal data by limiting the use of the latter. That is why it is of extreme importance to discuss approaches to and methods of depersonalization at all levels and reach a consensus on how to regulate depersonalized data as soon as possible. Creating a trusted environment and testing depersonalization methods in experimental legal regimes are also important prerequisites in this regard.”

Andrei Neznamov, Managing Director and Head of the AI Regulation Center at SberBank and Head of the Regulatory Working Group of the AI Alliance Russia, highlighted the importance of developing data regulation for artificial intelligence technologies. “It is extremely important for Russia to find the most balanced approach to the development of data regulation, as it affects all new technologies, primarily artificial intelligence. It is necessary to ensure a high level of protection for the rights of citizens, and at the same time to create conditions for the protected use of data for the development of machine learning. The possibility to find this balance can be ensured through dialogue between all stakeholders. This was the goal of our event.”