In January 2025 Djibouti in the Horn of Africa became the 174th country to enact a data privacy law: the Digital Code / Code Numerique covers data privacy as well as other e-commerce & cybersecurity topics www.journalofficiel.dj/texte-juridi... Thanks Dave Banisar @dbanisar.bsky.social

Were you on Facebook 10 years ago? papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=... Meta is paying A$50M - largest ever Australian privacy breach settlement. But the clock is ticking, until only 31/12/25. Who's eligible; how to make a claim; how much the eventual payout might be: here's what you need to know.

2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII). An article by its co-founders/directors Mowbray, Chung & Greenleaf in the Australian Law Journals discusses its history: papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=...

Gambia's National Assembly passed the Personal Data Protection and Privacy Bill, 2025 on 29 September, 2025. This makes Gambia the 173rd country to enact a data privacy law. It requires Presidential assent. For the other 172 see papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=...

My article on Malaysia's complex new guidelines on cross-border data transfers is at papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=... . Still a poor law after 2024 reforms, but definitely improving.

The real reason Disney restored Kimmel's late-night show? We, the people, have extraordinary power. Let me explain. https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-deeper-story-behind-americas

AustLII www.austlii.edu.au (1995 - ) and the other LIIs in the Free Access to Law Movement still stick to the ideals of the 90s, survive and sometimes thrive.

David Pope captures it beautifully.

Data flows and digital repression: Civil society urges EU to reassess Israel’s adequacy status edri.org/our-work/dat...

Sending troops into US cities against their will. Strong-arming corporations and extracting gifts in exchange for tariff exemptions. Calling on state governments to gerrymander in his favor. Trump is the "big government" nightmare conservatives have always warned us about.

Cambodia's Post & Telecoms Ministry has released a draft law on personal data protection in July 2025. Still no DPA, and relies on dozens of prakas (regs) being made. See my article on the 2023 Bill: papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... May be better than nothing, but maybe not if there is no enforcement

Dave's map is accurate for the 166 'comprehensive' laws. Add laws restricted to either the private sector (Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Bahrain, China, UAE, Vietnam, Qatar), or only the public sector (Yemen), & you get 172 countries with data privacy laws. See my papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=...

Same goes for GCC jurisidtions, such as the UAE (including that of DIFC, ADGM), KSA, Qatar, Oman etc

This map is just ignorant concerning the many African and Latin American countries with data privacy laws, and under-estimates the influence of the GDPR elsewhere. 172 countries have such laws. Dave Banisar's map - see Post following - is much more accurate on the extent of countries with laws.

Apology: correct URL is papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

My article 'Global data privacy 2025: International agreements stall' at download.ssrn.com/2025/8/10/53... surveys 2023-24's hi-spots: EU adequacy slo-mo; 108+ non-ratification; Malabo Convention stuck at 16/55 AU; ECOWAS withdrawals; CBPRs as dead parrot; CPTPP with added Brexit; RCEP uber FTAs.

AustLII (www.austlii.edu.au) will host the 22nd Law Via Internet Conference (Nov 13-14, Sydney) lvi2025.org. 24 presenters are listed on a new Conference Program page lvi2025.org/program/. Further submissions of abstracts are open until 31 August lvi2025.org/callforpapers/. Registration is open.

BSA now supports comprehensive privacy laws, and is horrified by states adopting new (outrageous) laws that actually gives consumers some rights. So not really a good or even comprehensive law, or probably a law at all really. I’m feeling a certain sense of deja vu all over again.

Important hearing discussing need for comprehensive privacy protections in US just starting.

172 countries have now enacted data privacy laws by, 12 new in 2023/24 (+ Brunei in 2025). At the current growth rate of 5.2 p/a, they could be universal in 8 years, but some (N.Korea?) will resist. GDPR influence still dominates. My paper analysing the changes is at papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=...

AustLII is hosting the 2025 Law via Internet Conference (LVI 2025 lvi2025.org), 'Empowering a just society through legal information, policy, technology, & practice', in Sydney in November. The Call for Papers closes on 21 July & registration is now open. It will be beach weather - bring your togs!

'Free Access to Law and Digital Court Decisions in Australia: Reflections and Future Directions', mainly about AustLII's contributions, is by Andrew Mowbray, Philip Chung and me, at papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=...

This is so fundamental: they are designed to tell you what they surmise you would expect to hear next. Not what is true. The two often coincide, but that is not a good place to start.

5 more ratifications of 108+ required for it to come into force. Maybe this year.

It's 50+ years since the first national data protection law in Sweden @grahamgreenleaf.bsky.social traces the impact over this period and identifies the current significance of data privacy laws in an increasingly digital world Full programme: www.events.privacylaws.com#/agenda?day=... #plb2025

Law schools have long had to respond to technological change, influenced from its highly funded sector. In the past, academic responses to big technology businesses have had values of openness and education at the core — consider AustLII and BAILII.(@grahamgreenleaf.bsky.social)

Of course, the UK could at the same time introduce compulsory voting and preferential voting and become a better democracy ...

www.theguardian.com/politics/202... How about Labour fix this, get rid of ID and allow 16-17 year olds the vote.

Perhaps it would have helped if over the last 30 years Germany had developed a comprehensive system of free access to legal information, so that it was more likely that non-proprietary alternatives to a German legal LLM could emerge.

Tamar Kaldani and I have published "Data privacy laws in Central Asia: between ex-SSR and ‘Belt & Road’ " in International Data Privacy Law (OUP). It is available for free access under Macquarie University's open access scheme: academic.oup.com/idpl/advance...

An amazing article: destroying all these 'silos' is the end of public sector privacy in the US. What is happening to the cases challenging the right to do this, relying on the Privacy Act of 1974?

I think it's very important to note that when you want to run human misery like a business--a business based on rounding up people to ship them to a country they aren't from to work in forced labor camps--you're a slaver. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Given that the EU has now officially requested that the EU AI Act apply to Northern Ireland, if the UK don’t challenge that in the joint committee (I suspect they are/will) then such a system would seemingly be prohibited in NI. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025... cc @nniloideain.bsky.social

The 'silos' in which governments hold personal data has been our greatest privacy protection, world-wide. Since the 1970s governments everywhere have repeatedly tried to break them down. This is one of the most dangerous assaults ever.

Oh Merica

My paper 'Cambodia's draft data privacy law: Too much is left to delegated prakas' is now at papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=... Even with the draft's weaknesses, it would be good to see something like it enacted, as it is one of the last 4 ASEAN countries without a data privacy law. Can be improved.

The index to the cases is at www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/view...

My 2023-24 global survey of data privacy laws (new countries, updates, & Bills pending) is out now in Privacy Laws & Business International Report www.privacylaws.com/int194dp2025 A wide range of new laws including Ethiopia, Vanuatu & the Vatican. Few countries with no data privacy laws are left.

Kiribati pulling ahead of USA in race for data protection law to protect citizens from abuse of their personal information. Even money on North Korea to beat US.

All the news articles I can see say it is $632K, not $632M - eg natlawreview.com/article/cppa... Pity... $632M would have been right up there with the highest fines world-wide ...

Bipartisan and independent, the FTC has been a remarkably successful agency for more than a century. The nihilistic attempt to destroy it will hurt the country, consumers, and even industry. Bravo to Commissioners Bedoya and Slaughter for fighting back!

There are now 172 countries with data privacy laws, from every region. In a short paper on SSRN I list them by year of first enactment, 1973-2025, and draw a few conclusions: papers.ssrn.com/abstract_id=... Data privacy laws are now ubiquitous but not yet universal. I hope you find this useful.

I'm very pleased to be the opening speaker at the 38th Privacy Laws & Business International Conference www.privacylaws.com/events-gatew... to be held at St John's College, Cambridge, UK from 7-9 July 2025. I'm reviewing 'The Global Impact of Data Privacy Laws After 50 years' - should keep me busy!

Last Friday I gave the Occasional Address for the Law Graduation at Macquarie University, on the topic 'How I found my vocation' papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.... On 1 Jan 2025 I became an Honorary Professor at Macquarie Law School www.mq.edu.au/faculty-of-a..., after 40 years at UNSW.

AustLII will host the 2025 Law Via Internet Conference lvi2025.org & meeting of the Free Access to Law Movement falm.info * The Call for Papers is open: lvi2025.org/callforpapers/ * Registration is also open: secure.austlii.edu.au/cgi-egate/re... We look forward to welcoming you to Sydney.

Our first post is a big one...Statement from Keker, Van Nest & Peters on Trump’s Latest Executive Order “Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court.”

I am a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission. Earlier today, the president attempted to illegally fire me. This is corruption, plain and simple. I will see the president in court. My full statement:

Very late in 2024, Vanuatu enacted the first data privacy law in the Pacific Islands: digital.gov.vu/images/Docs/... Many strengths including modern individual rights, and extra-territorial scope, but not as yet strong on controller /processor obligations (needs regs.) or enforcement/remedies.

Diffusion du droit aux antipodes : la fabuleuse histoire de @austlii.edu.au et ses 1000 bases de données. Mowbray, A. Chung, P & @grahamgreenleaf.bsky.social , Australasian Law in 1,000 Databases: The Evolution of AustLII @ssrn.bsky.social ssrn.com/abstract=477... or dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn...

The Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, an absolute monarchy, issued on 8 Jan 2025 the Personal Data Protection Order 2025: pdp.aiti.gov.bn/media/tndpdu... Brunei is the 173rd country with a data privacy law. The law is essentially 'private sector only', & borrows many other weaknesses from Singapore.