Comparing the laws

The purpose of this regulatory analysis is to review the degree of progress of personal data laws among IDB member countries. Based on the thematic subjects of the Standards for Personal Data Protection, it identifies which laws in the region regulate these thematic subjects.

From the research carried out, 12 countries with personal data protection laws in force were detected: Argentina, Bahamas, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico (with two laws), Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay. Even though Barbados and Jamaica, have their laws approved by parliament, both are pending enactment and, therefore, also pending entry into force. Although Chile has a privacy law that partially regulates a series of components in the area of personal data, it is not a specialized legislation on the subject. As for the Dominican Republic, the legislation has a sectoral scope, so it does not qualify as a cross-cutting legislation on the subject.