Norway has some of the toughest internet privacy rules in the world. They have several pieces of legislation that protect the privacy of their citizens, both physically and digitally.
Switzerland has guaranteed its citizens the right to privacy under its constitution and enacted regulations. The Swiss Federal Data Protection Act (DPA) prohibits personal data processing without the individual's consent the data relates to.
Iceland. Iceland has been called the 'Switzerland of data' for its strict privacy laws. The Data Protection Act of 2000 states that data must be obtained for specific purposes, and only after the subject has given unambiguous and informed consent.
The GDPR covers many Australian businesses established in the EU and can also apply to companies outside of the EU, such as businesses that offer goods or services to individuals in the EU or that monitor the behaviour of individuals in the EU.
The European Commission has so far recognised Andorra, Argentina, Canada (commercial organisations), Faroe Islands, Guernsey, Israel, Isle of Man, Japan, Jersey, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Switzerland , the United Kingdom under the GDPR and the LED, and Uruguay as providing adequate protection.
Australia is not, however, the subject of either an adequacy decision issued by the European Commission under the GDPR or adequacy regulations issued by the Secretary of State under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.
Norway, which holds the highest privacy score, can serve as an example for other countries looking to improve internet privacy.
Australian organisations likely have privacy policies and security measures already in place aligned with the Australian Privacy Act 1988, which actually has equivalent definitions and requirements as those outlined under the GDPR.
Both pieces of legislation protect living individuals in relation to their personal data. However, the Privacy Act does not provide a definition of 'data subject' but does provide a definition of 'individual' which is the subject of the protections under the Privacy Act. The GDPR only protects living individuals.
The Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) is the principal piece of Australian legislation protecting the handling of personal information about individuals. This includes the collection, use, storage and disclosure of personal information in the federal public sector and in the private sector.
Cyberlaw in USA (United States of America)
The USA is known as a superpower but It has been the top affected country of the world in terms of internet-related crimes, According to Norton Cyber Security Insights Report.
Articles 38 and 40 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China establish rights that relate to privacy, such as a right of dignity of the person which provides prohibitions against insult, defamation, false accusation, or false information directed against Chinese citizens, and a right of freedom and secrecy ...
So while most European countries do have data retention laws, Germany at the moment is the only country that complies with European law by not having a data retention law. Another recent ruling by the European Court of Justice shows the significance of the right to privacy.
Privacy and confidentiality are two separate concepts that protect different types of information. 'Privacy' is used in relation to information that is protected under law (normally under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)), whereas 'confidentiality' refers to different information contained in valid contracts and agreements.
Standards Australia is bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) as amended from time to time, including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). The APPs are designed to protect the privacy of individuals by regulating the way personal information is collected, used, disclosed and managed.
The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK's implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Everyone responsible for using personal data has to follow strict rules called 'data protection principles'.
Data Sovereignty regulates who can and can't access sensitive data. Data Residency has no such restrictions. Data that is resident in Australia can still be accessed by foreign contractors and third parties so long as it is not also under a Data Sovereignty requirement.
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) is the independent statutory agency endowed with functions under the Privacy Act and other legislation relating to data legislation. The role of the OAIC is to promote and uphold privacy and information access rights.
Balancing these factors, eight countries were rated as being 'endemic surveillance societies'. Of these eight, China, Malaysia and Russia scored lowest, followed jointly by Singapore and the United Kingdom, then jointly by Taiwan, Thailand and the United States.