Data Privacy Subgroup Statement on COVID-19 Resize text: Virtual Meeting, 15 March 2021 Issued by the APEC Data Privacy Subgroup We, the member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Economy Steering Group (DESG) Data Privacy Subgroup (DPS), recognize the importance of data in addressing the unprecedented challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Data is critical to understanding COVID-19, anticipating and controlling its spread, and expediting the discovery and development of safe and effective treatments and vaccines. Digital technologies have played a crucial role in facilitating continued business operations in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ability to collect, process, and move data across borders, which enables the effective use of digital technologies, has never been more important to the global economy.