Global Data Privacy Laws 2013: 99 Countries and Counting

Privacy Laws & Business International Report, Issue 123, June 2013, 10-13

UNSW Law Research Paper No. 2013-58

7 Pages Posted: 5 Aug 2013 Last revised: 29 Mar 2014

Date Written: June 4, 2013

Abstract

Since mid-2011 this series of articles has documented the increasing number of countries around the world with data privacy laws, initially shown to be an (unexpectedly high) 76, expanding through new laws (and further research) to 89 by early 2012. This third article in the series shows that by mid-2013 the number has grown to 99. Other significant developments concerning international agreements and data protection authorities have also occurred. This article summarizes these developments over the past eighteen month, accompanied by updated Tables – at http://ssrn.com/abstract= 2280875 - concerning all 99 laws, and the 21 known official Bills.

By looking at when such laws were enacted, and from which regions of the world, we can conclude that, given the continuing accelerating growth in the number of such laws, it is likely that, within a decade, data privacy laws will be ubiquitous in that they will be found in almost all economically more significant countries, and most others. This conclusion is supported by the number of official data privacy Bills currently before legislatures or under government consideration in at least 20 more countries.

The article also summarizes recent changes in which countries are affected by international agreements, commitments or requirements concerning data privacy. The article also sets out the extent to which data protection authorities (DPAs) are required as part of data privacy law, and the associations of DPAs in which each country’s DPA is involved. Some conclusions are drawn concerning their overlapping but incomplete memberships.

The full analysis of which this article is a summary version is at http://ssrn.com/abstract= 2280877.

Keywords: privacy, data protection, data protection authorities, data privacy laws

Suggested Citation

Greenleaf, Graham, Global Data Privacy Laws 2013: 99 Countries and Counting (June 4, 2013). Privacy Laws & Business International Report, Issue 123, June 2013, 10-13, UNSW Law Research Paper No. 2013-58, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2305882

Graham Greenleaf (Contact Author)

Independent Scholar ( email )

Sydney
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://www2.austlii.edu.au/~graham/

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