11 September, 2018

Regional Privacy Frameworks and Cross-Border Data Flows: How ASEAN and APEC can Protect Data and Drive Innovation

The report outlines options for improving linkages at a regional level between Asia’s two main privacy frameworks – the ASEAN Framework on Personal Data Protection and the APEC Privacy Framework. Furthermore, it highlights specific steps that all countries can take to support greater alignment of privacy frameworks across Asia.

Although the Asia Pacific region has made good progress in developing and implementing data privacy frameworks that both protect citizens and allow data to flow across borders, variances in data privacy laws across countries are holding back trade and innovation.

This progress can be accelerated by improving linkages at the regional level between Asia’s two main privacy frameworks: the ASEAN Framework on Personal Data Protection, and the APEC Privacy Framework and its accompanying systems. In support of GSMA’s initiative, Access Partnership has produced this report, to consider these frameworks with the objective to identify specific steps that can be taken to support the evolution and convergence of data privacy frameworks in Asia.