Online privacy laws worldwide
Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became fully effective on May 25, 2018. Since then, the EU has passed other laws covering data privacy, such as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA). In April 2021, along with the developments in the area of AI, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act was proposed, the first law proposal to regulate the use of AI in the EU.Similar laws were also developed in the United States in the following years. Furthermore , data privacy laws exist in different forms in other countries worldwide, including the General Law for the Protection of Personal Data in Brazil, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA) in India, the Act on Protection of Personal Information in Japan, the Personal Information Protection Law in China, and Privacy Amendment (Notifiable Data Breaches) to Australia’s Privacy Act, and Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) in Canada. In 2024, it is forecasted that 75 percent of the global population will have their data protected by privacy regulations.
How important is online privacy?
However crucial online privacy might seem, it comes with many inconveniences. In fact, over 60 percent of internet users worldwide said they accepted certain risks for more convenient internet use. At the same time, 70 percent of the global population have taken steps to protect their online identity. Among the tools used most were online parental controls on children’s accounts or devices, and multi-factor authentication. Furthermore, activating private mode on a browser and installing ad blocking were common, too.How do internet users feel about online privacy?
Recent research shows that internet users mainly see the web as an unsafe environment. Roughly seven in ten respondents of a global survey said they felt more vulnerable to identity theft than they did a few years ago. Moreover, internet users are keen to take action for safer online usage.2024 will be a big year for data privacy. With the extensive use of generative AI, there will be a need for more regulations and privacy measures along with already proposed bills that are set to be effective throughout the year.
