Α special living lab of the PARTES European program took place in Frankfurt on July 3 and 4, 2024. The PARTES program proposes an integrated prevention model for the protection of places of worship, which is based on the recording of incidents and corresponding evidence, is inclusive and has wide participation.
The Scientific Associate of the Interorthodox Centre of the Church of Greece, Mr. Sergios Voilas, participated in this specific workshop as a member of the expert committee of the project.
His participation focused on the protection of sensitive religious data, highlighting the vulnerability of personal data related to religious beliefs and the legal requirements under the EU GDPR.
One of the workshop’s key sessions was on cyber security challenges and implications for places of worship. In this session, participants addressed the mitigation of such threats to places of worship. Also topics were covered, such as: collaborations with cyber security professionals, securing online communications and secure financial transactions. By jointly discussing best practices and protocols, the aim was to demonstrate how these cybersecurity risks can be reduced.
Additionally, this interactive workshop focused on better and safer use of social media for places of worship, with an emphasis on mitigating online threats. This session aimed to equip participants with strategies to protect their online presence and effectively manage social media to protect their communities from cyber-attacks.
The last session of the workshop included exercises based on various scenarios. In this session, the knowledge gained from day one was put into practice by working out various scenarios related to cyber security and discussing practical solutions.
The workshop of the PARTES program is an important step to strengthen the protection of places of worship and to raise the awareness of religious communities and religious and ecclesiastical organizations regarding the need to protect their religious and personal data, in a collaborative environment for the best possible solution findings to the ever-emerging security issues.
