2016 was an eventful year in the Asia-Pacific region, as data protection and cyber security issues increasingly feature in the news headlines in the Asia-Pacific region as they do elsewhere, our annual publication, the 2017 Asia-Pacific Data Protection and Cyber Security Guide provides you with an update on key regulatory developments and emerging trends in data protection and cyber security.
Key developments include:
- China’s passage of its Cyber Security Law, which will take effect from 1 June, 2017. China’s approach to cyber security regulation is highly controversial, introducing data localization measures and invasive forms of technology regulation. Multi-national businesses across a range of industry sectors are concerned about the impact of this new, vaguely drafted law. Businesses in sectors such as banking and insurance have significant concerns about what the new law will mean for their operating platforms in China. Technology businesses fear that they may be excluded from markets altogether.
- Amendments to Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information will take effect next month, introducing a data export control, measures for dealing in anonymized personal data and removing exemptions for small businesses. Critically, Japan will now have a dedicated data protection regulator responsible for administering and enforcing the law.
- The publication of the Implementing Rules and Regulations for the Philippines’ Data Privacy Act of 2012 saw elements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation adopted into law, including a 72 hour data breach notification obligation, special requirements in relation to consents to profiling and a right to data portability.
The pace of regulatory development is rapid and multi-national businesses with operations in the Asia-Pacific region will want to stay abreast of the issues.
Our team would be delighted to share further insights with you.
Please click here to view the guide in full.