Standing on the windswept beaches of Normandy, Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, it’s impossible not to be moved. On 6th June 1944, over 157,000 Allied troops landed to confront a regime that had plunged Europe into fear and tyranny for four long years. Thousands lost their lives, British, American, Canadian, Danish, French, and German soldiers alike. They fought and died not only for land, but for freedom itself.
Eleven months later, the war in Europe ended. On 9th May 1945, the Channel Islands were finally liberated. Walking through the cemeteries and memorials during my recent visit to Normandy, I read countless stories of ordinary individuals who performed extraordinary acts. Each headstone is a reminder that the freedoms we enjoy today, freedom of thought, speech, belief, and yes, privacy, were hard-won. They are not gifts. They are a legacy.
A new era: human rights after war
The horrors of the Second World War exposed what happens when basic human dignity is stripped away. In response, nations came together in 1948 to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a global commitment to ensuring that such atrocities would never happen again.
The UDHR enshrined, for the first time, the fundamental rights of all people, including Article 12, which declared: “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence…” This was the beginning of privacy as a recognised human right, a quiet revolution in the way nations viewed individuals and the limits of state and corporate power.
The birth of data protection
As technology advanced in the decades that followed, new threats to privacy emerged, not from governments alone, but from the ability to collect, store, and process vast amounts of personal information. The first data protection laws appeared in the 1970s, starting in Germany and Sweden, responding to the increasing use of computers and databases.
This led to broader recognition of the need to regulate how personal information is handled. The Council of Europe’s Convention 108 in 1981 became the first legally binding international instrument on data protection. Over time, it shaped what would later become the EU Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC, and eventually the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Jersey and Guernsey, as responsible jurisdictions, have aligned themselves with these principles through the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 and the Data Protection (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 2017.
Commitment to individual rights
The Channel Islands Laws gives individuals, referred to as “data subjects” a suite of rights designed to protect their personal data and place control back into their hands.
These include:
- The right to be informed about how your data is used.
- The right of access to your data.
- The right to rectification of inaccurate information.
- The right to erasure, where appropriate.
- The right to restrict processing and to object to certain uses.
- The right to data portability and protections against automated decision-making.
At its heart, these laws are about respect for the individual, for choice, and for accountability.
What if D-Day had failed?
It’s a difficult question, but one worth contemplating. Had the Allied landings failed, and the Nazi regime maintained its grip over Europe, the world we live in today would likely be unrecognisable. The Nazis showed complete disregard for personal freedoms, operating surveillance states that relied on fear, repression, and the systematic abuse of information.
In that world, privacy rights would not exist. Data would be a weapon, used for control, discrimination, and destruction. There would be no meaningful legal checks, no rights of appeal, and certainly no concept of informed consent or transparency.
The Normandy landings did more than just secure victory in the war; they secured a future where human dignity could become the cornerstone of law.
From sacrifice to safeguards
Today, data protection may seem far removed from the beaches of Normandy. But the connection is very real. The freedoms enshrined in laws like the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 and the Data Protection (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law 2017 are the evolution of the same principles those soldiers fought for: liberty, dignity, and the right to live without fear of undue interference.
These laws are not just about compliance. They are about making sure that individuals are never reduced to numbers, categories, or targets. They ensure that power is balanced by responsibility.
A quiet Act of Remembrance
As we mark another Liberation Day, it’s important to remember that freedom is not static. It must be defended, not just on the battlefield, but in our everyday lives. Each time we question how our data is used, assert our rights, or challenge misuse, we take part in that defence.
By protecting data, we protect people. By asserting privacy, we honour sacrifice. And by remembering history, we shape a freer future.
