Most countries in the Americas have a framework in place for penalising infringements of data protection laws.

However, Cullen International’s latest research shows that the maximum possible fines per infraction and the largest fines imposed in the last five years vary significantly across the region.

While Brazil and Mexico have imposed the highest fines in the region at US$1.13m, Brazil’s maximum possible fine per infraction is significantly higher than Mexico’s and the highest in the region.

Chile and Canada have not imposed fines for data protection infringements during the period covered by our most recent research.

In contrast, while Europe also exhibits significant variation across countries, the fines for data protection infringements are significantly higher.

Most surveyed European countries recorded, individually, larger fines for data privacy violations than each of the surveyed countries in the Americas. The amount of the fines is usually significantly higher than even the maximum fines applicable by law in the countries surveyed in the Americas.

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