Recital 14

(14)

Respect for privacy and protection of personal data, which are enshrined as fundamental rights in Articles 7 and 8 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the ‘Charter’), are other areas in which whistleblowers can help to disclose breaches, which can harm the public interest. Whistleblowers can also help disclose breaches of Directive (EU) 2016/1148 of the European Parliament and of the Council (19) on the security of network and information systems, which introduces a requirement to provide notification of incidents, including those that do not compromise personal data, and security requirements for entities providing essential services across many sectors, for example energy, health, transport and banking, for providers of key digital services, for example cloud computing services, and for suppliers of basic utilities, such as water, electricity and gas. Whistleblowers' reporting in this area is particularly valuable for the prevention of security incidents that would affect key economic and social activities and widely used digital services, as well as for the prevention of any infringement of Union data protection rules. Such reporting helps ensure the continuity of services that are essential for the functioning of the internal market and the wellbeing of society.