The Panelfit Project was originally designed to smooth the adaptation of researchers, innovators, stakeholders, policymakers and citizens to the new EU regulations regarding ICT, namely (but not only) the General Data Protection Regulation. For thirty-six months, from 2018 to 2022, the partners of the consortium have worked extremely hard to achieve this goal. The results of their efforts, however, have been satisfactory from a variety of perspectives.
To begin with, the project has significantly improved the data protection materials available to the general public. The development of our Citizens' info pack has enabled us to provide citizens with materials that clearly explain the fundamentals of their rights. We are particularly proud of our ability to tailor them to the needs of vulnerable groups, which did not always have easy access to this type of information. Furthermore, we have created a Code of Conduct to assist the communities of scientists and innovators in processing data in a way that is ethical and legal.
Our findings will also be extremely beneficial to a critical user community. As is well known, journalists play an important role in democracies, which necessitates a significant amount of data processing. Panelfit has significantly improved its preparation to handle its data properly. To accomplish this goal, we created a Handbook for Journalists that contains all of the necessary information on the subject, as well as six informative webinars in which we presented particularly important issues.
Panelfit will also be useful in developing privacy and data protection policies. Our Governance Report contains useful information on how to efficiently monitor data processing for research and innovation. This is especially important because our current structures are not well suited for these purposes. Similarly, our Critical Analysis provides insight into the issues and gaps that exist in the current regulations. It also offers potential solutions that have been introduced in drafts of new regulations such as the AI Act or the Data Act. Panelfit's results include the analysis of new regulations through a mutual support process. To that end, we have developed a Mutual Learning Platform that gives registered users access to a database of current and new European regulations. It also allows for comments and discussions on critical issues at a time when standards are constantly shifting.
To this must be added, of course, the most important outcome of our project: our ELI Guidelines on Data Protection in ICT Research and Innovation. These are interactive tools that function similarly to wiki systems. They aim to facilitate the adaptation processes between new technological advances and legal frameworks by creating a set of editable, openly accessible guidelines, as well as operational standards capable of reducing ethical and legal issues posed by information and communication technologies.
The Guidelines were designed in such a way that different levels of information - more or less detailed - can be accessed depending on the needs of the end user. As a result, each user can graduate to the level of knowledge required to proceed with data processing. Furthermore, the Guidelines include a plethora of questionnaires and checklists that can be used to verify compliance with the substantive aspects of the applicable regulations. This will help us ensure that researchers and innovators are not in serious non-compliance much easier. It should also be emphasized that the texts can be tailored to the needs of users, allowing people with limited abilities or special preferences to satisfy their needs.
It is critical to note that one of the most significant outcomes of Panelfit was one that was not anticipated: strong support for the response strategy to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our researchers published numerous materials in specialized journals and mass media to explore ethical and legal issues related to the processing of personal data in the use of tracking apps, immunity certificates, vaccination certificates, and so on. We also appeared in a number of public debates and audiovisual media appearances. Without a doubt, this is one of the outcomes we are most proud of.
