Global Data Privacy Laws 2021: Despite COVID Delays, 145 Laws Show GDPR Dominance

(2021) 169 Privacy Laws & Business International Report, 1, 3-5

UNSW Law Research Paper No. 21-60

6 Pages Posted: 29 Apr 2021 Last revised: 30 Sep 2021

Date Written: February 11, 2021

Abstract

The 50th anniversary in 2020 of the world’ s first data privacy law, the Datenschutzgesetz 1970 of the state of Hesse in Germany marks the first half century of their development.

This article focuses on changes in the global development of these data privacy laws in 2019-20. In summary, the number of countries that have enacted data privacy laws rose from 132 to 145, and most of the 13 new laws are from 2019, before COVID-19 slowed down legislative activity world-wide. At least 23 other countries have official Bills for new laws in various stages of progress.

During 2019-20, at least 13 countries have updated or replaced existing laws (almost always influenced by the EU’s GDPR). At least a further 11 have introduced Bills to do so. All of this adds up to nearly 60 countries world-wide where there was legislative activity in 2019-20 concerning data privacy, resulting in new or updated laws in 26 countries.

All of these changes are detailed in the article, and in the two accompanying global Tables.

Keywords: datta protection, data privacy, global, GDPR

Suggested Citation

Greenleaf, Graham, Global Data Privacy Laws 2021: Despite COVID Delays, 145 Laws Show GDPR Dominance (February 11, 2021). (2021) 169 Privacy Laws & Business International Report, 1, 3-5, UNSW Law Research Paper No. 21-60, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3836348 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3836348

Graham Greenleaf (Contact Author)

Independent Scholar ( email )

Sydney
Australia

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

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