On 18 October 2016, Privacy Commissioner of Canada Daniel Therrien and U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham co-chaired the Common Thread Network’s Annual General Meeting in Marrakech. They also announced the launch ofthe Common Thread Network’s website.

The Common Thread Network is a new and vibrant network which currently links up 20 data protection and privacy authorities in Commonwealth countries spread across all the continents, a network also expected to continue to grow and reach out to many more authorities from the different nations of the Commonwealth.

The Common Thread Network was established in 2014 to further a common approach to respecting citizens’ privacy, to promote and build capacity in the sharing of knowledge and good practices for effective data protection.

The new website is one among many features which the Common Thread Network intends to use to foster a common approach and create synergies among Commonwealth nations to uphold individuals’ privacy and data protection rights.

As the Common Thread Network develops its activities, the co-chairs encourage individuals to come and visit the website regularly to keep up to date with the latest Common Thread news.