

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.
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.
Download the Policy Makers’ Guide
MORE RESOURCES
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.



Press Releases
Access Now publica recomendaciones sobre privacidad y protección de datos en la lucha contra el COVID-19
Los gobiernos, las empresas, las ONG y las personas tienen la responsabilidad de hacer su parte para mitigar las consecuencias de COVID-19 y mostrar solidaridad y respeto mutuo. …
22 April 2020



Access Now in the News
Pandemic panopticon: Israeli surveillance during COVID-19
Al Jazeera
19 April 2020


Access Now in the News
COVID-19 in Britain: The death toll and the media deference
Al Jazeera
18 April 2020








Press Releases
Australian rights groups urge transparency on government COVID-19 app
The Coronavirus Australia app has already been downloaded over 500,000 times, but there is little publicly available information about what data are being collected, how it is being used, and how it will be kept safe.…
8 April 2020



Access Now in the News
From Tracking the Virus to Tracking People
Sophie Petitjean, Euranet Plus
7 April 2020


Access Now in the News
DTA hiring spree for ‘secret’ digital product
Denham Sadler, InnovationAus
6 April 2020


Press Releases
Access Now releases recommendations on privacy and data protection in the fight against COVID-19
Our message to governments is simple: protecting digital rights also promotes public health. We aim to ensure that the rule of law, and the rights to privacy and data protection, are protected throughout this crisis and in the future.…
31 March 2020
