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.

6-years-GDPR
REPORT

Six years of the GDPR report: pay-or-consent report

As the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) turns six years old, multiple enforcement challenges are surfacing. This includes a rise in companies deploying so-called “pay or consent” business models, which force people to pay to enjoy their own right to privacy and data protection. 

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.

India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Bill

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.

Header image: data protection in Africa

Data Protection

How governments can strengthen data protection in Africa

Digitisation in Africa has led many countries to develop data protection laws. We explore ways to strengthen these frameworks.

Australia’s Privacy Act

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.”

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.

Digital Security Helpline BG
Digital Security
Digital Security

How U.S. funding cuts expose civil society to digital attacks

9 Apr 2025
Post
How U.S. funding cuts expose civil society to digital attacks
9 Apr 2025
How U.S. funding cuts expose civil society to digital attacks
GDPR procedural
Data Protection
Data Protection

Submission on India’s draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules

11 Mar 2025

Access Now’s comments and recommendations on India’s draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025.

Publication
Submission on India’s draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules
11 Mar 2025
Submission on India’s draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules
GDPR procedural
Data Protection
Data Protection

Now or never: strengthen GDPR Procedural Rules to hold Big Tech accountable 

13 Feb 2025

The development of the proposed GDPR Procedural Regulation represents a missed opportunity to address enforcement challenges.

Press Release
Now or never: strengthen GDPR Procedural Rules to hold Big Tech accountable 
13 Feb 2025
Now or never: strengthen GDPR Procedural Rules to hold Big Tech accountable 
how social media companies increase risks for LGBTQ+ people in Africa
Digital Security
Digital Security

Rainbow-burning: how social media companies increase risks for LGBTQ+ people in Africa

4 Dec 2024

Colonial-era laws and a global anti-rights movement are fueling LGBTQ+ repression across Africa. Access Now documented 214 threats on platforms like TikTok, X, Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp, underscoring widespread risks.

Publication
Rainbow-burning: how social media companies increase risks for LGBTQ+ people in Africa
4 Dec 2024
Rainbow-burning: how social media companies increase risks for LGBTQ+ people in Africa
|Human rights problem with Google Cloud Platform in Saudi Arabia - Twitter thumbnail
Data Protection
Data Protection

La guerra por las nubes

2 Dec 2024
News
La guerra por las nubes
El Café de la Mañana ↗
2 Dec 2024
La guerra por las nubes
6-years-GDPR
Data Protection
Data Protection

Six years of the GDPR: we won’t pay for our right to data protection 

18 Nov 2024

Access Now’s new report, Six years of the GDPR: priced out of privacy, presents recommendations for the EU to address the incompatibility of “pay or consent” models with fundamental rights.

Press Release
Six years of the GDPR: we won’t pay for our right to data protection 
18 Nov 2024
Six years of the GDPR: we won’t pay for our right to data protection 
Manual Del Pequeñx Vigilado Header
Data Protection
Data Protection

Manual da Pessoa Vigiada

31 Oct 2024

O Manual da Pessoa Vigiada é um guia para ajudá-lo a navegar no sistema judiciário caso você seja detido injustamente por sistemas biométricos.

Guide
Manual da Pessoa Vigiada
31 Oct 2024
Manual da Pessoa Vigiada
Digital Public Infrastructure
Digital Identity Systems
Digital Identity Systems

A human rights-centered approach to digital public infrastructure

24 Oct 2024

Read Access Now’s recommendations for lawmakers to ensure digital public infrastructure protects human rights.

Guide
A human rights-centered approach to digital public infrastructure
24 Oct 2024
A human rights-centered approach to digital public infrastructure
Big Tech and the risk of Genocide in Gaza
Surveillance
Surveillance

Big Tech and the risk of genocide in Gaza: what are companies doing?

10 Oct 2024

Big Tech is playing a central role in enabling the relentless mass slaughter and destruction unleashed in the war in Gaza.

Post
Big Tech and the risk of genocide in Gaza: what are companies doing?
10 Oct 2024
Big Tech and the risk of genocide in Gaza: what are companies doing?
EU Human Rights Agenda
Surveillance
Surveillance

Five years for fundamental rights: Access Now’s vision for an EU digital rights agenda

3 Oct 2024

As the EU’s new 2024-2029 mandate begins, we invite EU policymakers to join us on our mission of defending and extending digital rights of people and communities at risk around the world.

Publication
Five years for fundamental rights: Access Now’s vision for an EU digital rights agenda
3 Oct 2024
Five years for fundamental rights: Access Now’s vision for an EU digital rights agenda
UN Global Digital Compact
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity

UN Global Digital Compact: FAQ

19 Sep 2024

What is the UN Global Digital Compact, why does it matter for the future of digital rights, and what are its human rights implications? Read our FAQ to know.

Guide
UN Global Digital Compact: FAQ
19 Sep 2024
UN Global Digital Compact: FAQ
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Privacy
Privacy

Access Now welcomes first set of amendments to Australia’s Privacy Act, but more needs to be done

13 Sep 2024
Press Release
Access Now welcomes first set of amendments to Australia’s Privacy Act, but more needs to be done
13 Sep 2024
Access Now welcomes first set of amendments to Australia’s Privacy Act, but more needs to be done
Digital Identity
Digital Identity Systems
Digital Identity Systems

Why we need tailored identity systems for our digital world 

11 Sep 2024

Digital identity systems are no silver bullet for social challenges. Here’s why a “minimalist” approach makes sense, while protecting human rights.

Post
Why we need tailored identity systems for our digital world 
11 Sep 2024
Why we need tailored identity systems for our digital world 
Digital Safety Tips Activists MENA Region
Digital Security
Digital Security

دليل الأمن الرقمي للنشطاء في الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا

4 Sep 2024

قامت أكساس ناو بإعداد هذا الدليل للأمن الرقمي بهدف تقديم الدعم للأشخاص في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا الذين يسعون لحماية أنفسهم من التهديدات الرقمية والبقاء آمنين على الإنترنت.

Guide
دليل الأمن الرقمي للنشطاء في الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا
4 Sep 2024
دليل الأمن الرقمي للنشطاء في الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا
Data Protection
Data Protection

Demand better privacy: hold Bumble accountable

14 Aug 2024
Post
Demand better privacy: hold Bumble accountable
14 Aug 2024
Demand better privacy: hold Bumble accountable
Phishing infrastructure
Surveillance
Surveillance

Spear phishing cases from Eastern Europe in 2022-2024: a technical brief

14 Aug 2024

Russia-linked phishing campaigns are targeting civil society and NGOs operating in the region and abroad, according to a new investigation by Access Now and the Citizen Lab.

Publication
Spear phishing cases from Eastern Europe in 2022-2024: a technical brief
14 Aug 2024
Spear phishing cases from Eastern Europe in 2022-2024: a technical brief