GDPR and the Global Privacy Wave

When the GDPR came into force in 2018, it quickly became the world’s reference point for digital privacy. GDPR requires consent, transparency, and breach notifications — rules that reshaped how companies handle personal data globally.

The GDPR Effect

The GDPR doesn’t just stop at Europe’s borders. Because the EU only allows free data flows to countries with “adequate” protections, many nations have either:

✅ Fully aligned with GDPR,

✅ Amended existing laws to mirror its standards, or

✅ Created GDPR-inspired frameworks to remain connected to Europe’s digital economy.

Some examples from CEPA’s global mapping:

✅ Brazil → LGPD, directly modeled on GDPR.

✅ Japan & South Korea → updated laws to secure EU adequacy rulings.

✅ Kenya, Sri Lanka, Nigeria → adopted GDPR-style frameworks to strengthen rights and enable trade.

✅ California → passed the CCPA, CPRA, becoming the U.S. leader in state-level privacy laws that echo GDPR principles.

Every privacy law has flaws. Enforcement gaps exist, and cultural/legal traditions differ. Yet GDPR has:

Established individual rights to access, correct, delete, and port data.

Forced companies worldwide to rethink consent and transparency.

Inspired a cascade of global privacy laws from Canada to India to Latin America.

GDPR set the tone for privacy protection around the world. Other countries — and even U.S. states — followed. Is GDPR perfect? No. But it created the foundation for safeguarding privacy in the digital world. Too often we share personal data without thinking, but without GDPR, our privacy today would be far weaker. It raised awareness, gave rights to individuals, and built global momentum for data protection.

Link to the Center for European Policy Analysis GDPR mapping: Link

Auhor: Sebastian Burgemejster