Our latest Global Trends research shows there is increased awareness among policy makers and regulators of the need to protect personal data more effectively in the digital age, even in countries, such as China and the US, that do not have a general privacy law.

Among the 12 countries analysed, Japan was the most recent to modernise its data privacy framework. The Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) was amended in June 2020 and introduced the mandatory reporting of data breaches, the possibility to suspend the use of personal information in certain cases, and stricter penalties. South Korea amended three relevant data privacy laws in February 2020. Singapore is proposing a review of its Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) that, if approved, would extend the scope of notifiable data breaches, introduce mandatory data portability, and enhance financial penalties.

The California Consumer Privacy Act, adopted in 2018 and in force from January 2020, is the first comprehensive privacy law adopted in the US. The Act expands the definition of personal information and introduces new consumer rights for Californian residents, starting with the right to be informed about what kinds of personal data companies have collected and why it was collected.

Although not a global standard, the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been a significant reference point for the review of many data privacy frameworks in recent years around the world, from Brazil to South Africa.

To find out more about privacy in the digital age around the world, please click on “Access the full content” to view the full global benchmark - or on “Request Access”, in case you are not subscribed to our Global Trends service.