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.
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“Save the GDPR”: our message to the European Commission
The European Union is a legislative superpower with a weak enforcement track record. The latest demonstration of this reality is one of the EU’s flagship laws: the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
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
TikTok forced to pause plans for privacy-intrusive ads
TikTok has paused its plan to impose personalised ads on people in EEA, UK, and Switzerland, after Access Now told the company that it must scrap this action.
Data Protection
Protección de datos personales: Recomendaciones para el nuevo proyecto de ley en Argentina
La nueva directora de la Agencia de Acceso a la Información Pública (AAIP), Beatriz de Anchorena, ha convocado al debate para la actualización de la Ley 25.326 de Protección de Datos Personales sancionada en el año 2000.
Data Protection
No place for privacy in India as government withdraws Personal Data Protection Bill
The government has withdrawn the Personal Data Protection Bill, which had been in the works for three years, slamming the brakes indefinitely on privacy safeguards in India.
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
The best and the worst in 2022: data protection laws across the world
On Data Protection Day, Access Now reviews the countries with some of the best and worst data protection laws in 2022.
Data Protection
Post-Roe, civil society calls on data brokers to do no harm
Access Now, Amnesty International USA, and Fight for the Future called on four geolocation data brokers to ensure their practices are not harming the privacy and reproductive rights of people seeking abortions.
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.
TikTok CEO testifies before US Congress amid growing security concerns
Shaping the next 20 years of digital rights in Europe
As we mark the 20th anniversary of EDRi, the European Digital Rights network, it’s an apt moment to reflect on the story of digital rights in Europe so far, and to ask the question: how can we better equip Europe for the human rights challenges of the digital age?
Open letter: Ghana’s new anti-LGBTQ+ bill threatens human rights
Through an open letter, Access Now and partners call on Ghana’s Parliament to immediately reject the new anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
Put human rights first: Ghana’s parliament must reject repressive anti-LGBTQ+ bill
Access Now and partners call on Ghana’s parliament to immediately reject the new repressive anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
TikTok accused by privacy watchdog of tracking user emotions to sell advertising slots
منظمات وجمعيات حقوقية تدعو الحكومة التونسية إلى إرجاء إطلاق المنصة الرقمية لتوجيه الدعم لمستحقيه
تدعو أكساس ناو رفقة منظمات وجمعيات حقوقية الحكومة التونسية إلى إرجاء إطلاق المنصة الرقمية لتوجيه الدعم لمستحقيه حتى استيفاء كافة الشروط القانونية.
Privacy first: TikTok’s “Focused View” needs immediate review
Access Now is demanding TikTok clarifies how it applies EU laws and human rights safeguards when using its new feature, “Focused View.”
Open letter: TikTok’s ‘Focused View’ feature must respect human rights law
In an open letter, Access Now is demanding TikTok clarifies how it applies human rights law when using its new feature, “Focused View.”
TikTok’s “Focused View”: the creepy new feature aims to monetise your emotions
Ever heard of TikTok’s “Focused View”? Learn how TikTok claims to tracks your emotions and invades your privacy for profit.
Tunisia’s government must open the Mobile ID black box
Tunisia’s Mobile ID program is opaque and risks undermining users’ data protection and privacy. The government must share details of the program to foster trust and transparency.
Access Now oral statement to the UN Global Digital Compact Informal Consultations with Member States and Stakeholders
Access Now’s Senior UN Advocacy Officer Laura O’Brien delivered an oral statement to the UN Global Digital Compact Informal Consultations with Member States and Stakeholders on Feb 3 2023.
TikTok: Warum die App im Visier von Behörden ist
Día Internacional de la Protección de Datos Personales en LATAM: resumen del 2022 y perspectivas para el 2023
‘Gut punch’: Meta bruised in EU data fight
The Slow Death of Surveillance Capitalism Has Begun
