All of the leading economies in the world have their data protection legislation. As a data entry professional, you must know the main data protection legislation of major world economies. This is particularly true in a globalised world, where large companies will likely have offices and customers across country borders.

Data Protection Legislation

Each country or trading bloc has set up its data protection legislation. The most famous is GDPR, introduced in 2018 by the European Union. Below is a list of major economies and their data protection legislation.

European Union:

• General Data Protection Regulation:

  This regulation is best known as GDPR and was introduced on May 25, 2018. This standardized data protection legislation has been adopted across the European Union.  The main focus is that individuals should maintain control over their data. Additionally, it imposes a strict set of rules on data processing. This covers major countries like Germany, Italy, France and many more. There are 27 countries in total and 450 million people. Data entry professionals will likely work for companies with offices or customers in the EU.

United Kingdom:

• Data Protection Act 2018

  This Act was passed by the UK Parliament in 2018. It aims to complement GDPR but has tailored GDPR rules to be more effective when applied to the UK. The UK was a part of the EU, but post-Brexit, they decided to retain the GDPR framework. This has been called the UK GDPR. This means UK Data Protection legislation is designed to align closely with the EU’s GDPR.

US Data Protection Legislation

United States of America:

The USA lacks federal data protection legislation, unlike the EU and UK. However, each industry has its own specific rules. This can make it much harder to understand this area in the US, as there is less consistency than in other jurisdictions. Below, you can see some examples for different industries:

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA):

  • This is an Act that focuses on the medical industry. It focuses on PHI (personal health information) and provides a framework for privacy.

• Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (GLBA):

  • This has been designed for the financial services industry. It provides a prudential framework for data protection across the US Financial services industry. It came into force in 1999.

• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

  • The Act relates to Californian residents and gives Californians rights regarding their data. This Act includes the right to know if someone holds your data, to request them to delete your data and to opt out of the sale of your personal information.

Canada:

• Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA):

  • This Canadian Act applies to private-sector organizations across Canada. It provides a set of rules and frameworks governing the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information during commercial activities.

Australia:

• Privacy Act 1988:

  • This Act regulates the handling of personal information by Australian government agencies. It can also impact private sector organizations. The Act includes some data collection limitations and rules regarding data quality.

China:

• Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL):

  • China brought in this law in 2021. The PIPL focuses on the processing of personal data within China. It imposes obligations to any organisation that collects, stores or shares data.

India:

• Data Protection Law:

  • Indian Data Protection Laws have designed a consent-centric framework. It is stringent and focuses on how consent must be obtained and processed when collecting data.

Japan:

• Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI):

  • The Japanese Act is one of the oldest data protection laws in Asia. The APPI covers the use of personal data. It relates to both the public and private sectors. It emphasizes individual rights to data privacy and data security.

Data Privacy Training

In reality, most countries will have some provisions for data privacy. Therefore, anyone looking to work in Data Entry should be aware of these terms. In a globalized world, we need to be aware of global legislation. We cover these terms in the Data Entry Diploma, amongst other key learnings.