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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
EU Parliament committee votes to advance controversial Europol data sharing proposal
Taking stock of Big Tech: the 2025 RDR Index
Big Tech needs to step up. We’re pushing companies in the 2025 RDR Index to do better on human rights.
The U.S. has reactivated its Paragon contract — and it should alarm everyone
Radiografía de un abuso: clínicas y aseguradoras recogen datos sin consentimiento de pacientes
Halt human rights abuses: Safaricom and its shareholders must ensure transparency and accountability in Kenya
Access Now, alongside several human rights organisations, is calling on the Vodacom Group, as a major shareholder in Safaricom, to launch an urgent, independent, and publicly accessible assessment into the company’s role in potential human rights violations in relation to the ongoing protests in Kenya.
Vodacom must launch an investigation into Safaricom for enabling potential human rights abuses
Vodacom must investigate Safaricom’s role in human rights abuses in Kenya, including data sharing with police and risks to user privacy and safety.
Why client-side scanning on encrypted platforms is a lose-lose proposition
Regulators worldwide have been pushing client-side scanning (CSS) as a way to examine encrypted communications. But this system still undermines people’s privacy and security by circumventing end-to-end encryption, as we explain.
One year later: NGOs renew pressure over EU-Israel data adequacy
EU urged to reconsider Israel’s data adequacy due to new laws, human rights violations in Gaza, and failure to meet GDPR and CJEU standards.
Your VPN could be giving your browsing data to China, watchdog says
Access Now to EU: protect rights, make the GDPR enforceable
Access Now demands action on the proposed General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Procedural Regulation, ahead of its final trilogue.
NSO to pay $168 million in damages to WhatsApp for Pegasus spyware hacking
Civil society must have a seat at the EU Technology Roadmap table
All stakeholders need to work together to find long-term solutions to complex societal issues, which are based on scientific evidence, and are respectful of rights.
How U.S. funding cuts expose civil society to digital attacks
Submission on India’s draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules
Access Now’s comments and recommendations on India’s draft Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025.
Now or never: strengthen GDPR Procedural Rules to hold Big Tech accountable
The development of the proposed GDPR Procedural Regulation represents a missed opportunity to address enforcement challenges.
Rainbow-burning: how social media companies increase risks for LGBTQ+ people in Africa
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.