Data Protection

Protecting Our Data

Access Now fights for stronger, more effective laws and policies around the world to protect people’s personal information online. Here you will find resources to understand what data protection is, why it matters, and how to protect your information. Whether you are an internet user, lawmaker, or data protection authority, there is something for you.

REPORT

Five years and counting: the GDPR faces a make-or-break moment over enforcement

As the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) turns five, so does the Europe-wide wait for its real-life enforcement. In a new report, Five years under the GDPR: An implementation progress report, Access Now explores how the GDPR could finally become a success if its enforcement process is improved. 

RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS

What is data protection? Why does it matter? What can you do to protect your information?

RESOURCES FOR LAWMAKERS

Our guide will help you develop or update the data protection norms in your country.

More Resources

Data Protection

The right to lodge a data protection complaint under the GDPR: OK, but then what?

This study commissioned by Access Now from The Data Protection Law Scholars Network highlights how unequal the right to lodge a data protection complaint is across Europe.

Kenya SIM card and data protection

Data Protection

Why Kenyans should say no to biometrics for SIM card registry

Your Kenya SIM card should not come with a demand for your personal biometrics.

Protección de datos personales: Recomendaciones para el nuevo proyecto de ley en Argentina

Data Protection

Protección de datos: ¿por qué es importante y cómo debes hacerlo?

“La creación de un marco para la protección de datos: Una guía para los legisladores sobre qué hacer y qué no” comparte las lecciones obtenidas de la RGPD y destaca los problemas a tener en cuenta para la implementación de una norma de protección de datos.

Victoria en La Victoria: Municipalidad de Perú sancionada por uso ilegítimo de datos personales

Data Protection

Access Now’s submission on Bangladesh’s Draft Data Protection Act

Access Now’s submission to the Information and Communication Technology Division, Bangladesh, on the Draft Data Protection Act, 2022.

International Data Protection Day 2023

Data Protection

Día Internacional de la Protección de Datos Personales en LATAM: resumen del 2022 y perspectivas para el 2023

Este 28 de enero se celebra nuevamente el Día Internacional de la Protección de Datos Personales. La importancia de este día reside en la necesidad de informar y concientizar a

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Data Protection

Answer to the European Commission consultation on the enforcement of the GDPR

Access Now’s feedback to the European Commission consultation on “Further specifying procedural rules relating to the enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation.”

Guide: How to get rid of targeted ads on TikTok (only in the EU)

Data Protection

How to get rid of targeted ads on TikTok (only in the EU)

If you are in the EU, here are the simple three steps to opt out from TikTok’s targeted ads.

FAQ

Why does data protection matter?

Protecting personal data means securing your information online and preventing any unauthorized access. It also means limiting data collection and tracking, which helps protect your identity online and reduce risks of discrimination, online manupilation, and online fraud.

Abuse of data in digital spaces can have very real consequences in our daily lives. Read more here.

What is data protection?

Governments all around the world are creating rules on how our personal data is collected, stored, analyzed and otherwise used by companies or government bodies. These rules uphold data protection rights, which empower individuals to make informed choices about what happens to their information, both before and after they share it, and require data collectors to treat people’s personal information with great care.

What is access now’s work on data protection?

We advocate for the passage of comprehensive data protection measures all around the world. We raise awareness about the importance of this right and how people can exercise it,provide expert comments and opinions to lawmakers, and support the work of data protection authorities in enforcing this right.

What is the EU general data protection regulation, or gdpr?

The GDPR — or General Data Protection Regulation — is the European Union data protection law in place since May 2018. The GDPR is considered to be one of the strongest frameworks currently in place to protect personal data and serves as a model for regulation around the world.

Learn more about the GDPR here and how to exercise your rights here.

FIVE YEARS UNDER THE EU GDPR: BECOMING AN ENFORCEMENT SUCCESS
Data Protection
Data Protection

Five years under the GDPR: An implementation progress report

2 Jun 2023
Publication
Five years under the GDPR: An implementation progress report
2 Jun 2023
Five years under the GDPR: An implementation progress report
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Transparency
Transparency

Alphabet shareholders want more transparency, less complacency

25 May 2023
Post
Alphabet shareholders want more transparency, less complacency
25 May 2023
Alphabet shareholders want more transparency, less complacency
Corporate transparency Social card
Privacy
Privacy

Meta shareholders to company leaders: your business model hurts human rights

23 May 2023

As the annual shareholder meeting approaches, Meta shareholders ask leadership to review the company’s targeted advertising business model and protect human rights.

Post
Meta shareholders to company leaders: your business model hurts human rights
23 May 2023
Meta shareholders to company leaders: your business model hurts human rights
Data Protection
Data Protection

Access Now at CPDP 2023: where to find us

22 May 2023

If you’re attending the annual Computers, Privacy & Data Protection (CPDP) conference, find out more about where to find Access Now on the ground.

Post
Access Now at CPDP 2023: where to find us
22 May 2023
Access Now at CPDP 2023: where to find us
Data Protection
Data Protection

Meta’s €1.2bn fine — a GDPR win, inconsequential for user privacy?

22 May 2023
News
Meta’s €1.2bn fine — a GDPR win, inconsequential for user privacy?
Alejandro Tauber ↗
22 May 2023
Meta’s €1.2bn fine — a GDPR win, inconsequential for user privacy?
U.S. human rights abuses MENA
Data Protection
Data Protection

Meta’s $1.3 Billion Fine Is a Strike Against Surveillance Capitalism

22 May 2023
News
Meta’s $1.3 Billion Fine Is a Strike Against Surveillance Capitalism
Matt Burgess ↗
22 May 2023
Meta’s $1.3 Billion Fine Is a Strike Against Surveillance Capitalism
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Data Protection
Data Protection

Q&A: Is Meta data-transfer fine enough to allay privacy concerns?

22 May 2023
News
Q&A: Is Meta data-transfer fine enough to allay privacy concerns?
22 May 2023
Q&A: Is Meta data-transfer fine enough to allay privacy concerns?
Focused View
Data Protection
Data Protection

Scrap Montana’s rights-abusing TikTok ban 

19 May 2023
Press Release
Scrap Montana’s rights-abusing TikTok ban 
19 May 2023
Scrap Montana’s rights-abusing TikTok ban 
Tech and conflict
Transparency
Transparency

Tech and conflict: a guide for responsible business conduct

18 May 2023

This guide is meant to help tech companies think through the impacts of their decisions in the context of conflict.

Guide
Tech and conflict: a guide for responsible business conduct
18 May 2023
Tech and conflict: a guide for responsible business conduct
European Media Freedom Act
Data Protection
Data Protection

Meta Faces a Big EU Fine, But Avoids the Body Blow

15 May 2023
News
Meta Faces a Big EU Fine, But Avoids the Body Blow
Parmy Olson ↗
15 May 2023
Meta Faces a Big EU Fine, But Avoids the Body Blow
civil and human rights
Data Protection
Data Protection

Access Now joins the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

11 May 2023

Access Now has joined the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR), a long-standing coalition of more than 230 organizations committed to advancing and protecting all persons’ civil and human rights in the United States.

Press Release
Access Now joins the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
11 May 2023
Access Now joins the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
How to get rid of targeted ads on TikTok (only in the EU)
Data Protection
Data Protection

Why is TikTok being targeted by the RESTRICT Act?

9 May 2023
News
Why is TikTok being targeted by the RESTRICT Act?
Chiara Castro ↗
9 May 2023
Why is TikTok being targeted by the RESTRICT Act?
Data Protection
Data Protection

London food bank rolling out face biometrics app for store purchases

5 May 2023
News
London food bank rolling out face biometrics app for store purchases
Chris Burt ↗
5 May 2023
London food bank rolling out face biometrics app for store purchases
Exigimos que las personas puedan #MigrarSinVigilancia: ¡No a la recolección e intercambio masivo de datos biométricos de personas migrantes!
Data Protection
Data Protection

UK food bank users swap face scans for free food

5 May 2023
News
UK food bank users swap face scans for free food
Lin Taylor ↗
5 May 2023
UK food bank users swap face scans for free food
Tunisia digitization programs
Privacy
Privacy

Tunisia’s digitization programs threaten the privacy of millions

27 Apr 2023

Tunisia’s recent digitization programs could pave way for mass surveillance, identity theft, data exploitation, and more. Here’s why.

Post
Tunisia’s digitization programs threaten the privacy of millions
27 Apr 2023
Tunisia’s digitization programs threaten the privacy of millions
Guide: How to get rid of targeted ads on TikTok (only in the EU)
Privacy
Privacy

How to get rid of targeted ads on TikTok (only in the EU)

26 Apr 2023

If you are in the EU, here are the simple three steps to opt out from TikTok’s targeted ads.

Guide
How to get rid of targeted ads on TikTok (only in the EU)
26 Apr 2023
How to get rid of targeted ads on TikTok (only in the EU)