EU Data Privacy Regulation: Effective Year

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Adopted in 1995, Directive 95/46 EC establishes strong data protection and policy requirements, including the declaring of data privacy to be a human right.

It establishes that an individual has the right to be notified when their personal data is being access or processed, that it only will ever be accessed for legitimate purposes, and that data will only be accessed to the exact extent it needs to be for the particular process or request.

The European Union passed the first major regulation concerning data privacy in 1995, called the Data Protection Directive (95/46/EC). This directive was implemented by all EU member states and established the basic principles of data protection, including the rights of individuals to control their personal data, as well as the obligations of companies and organizations that collect and process such data.

However, with the rapid growth of the internet and digital technology, the EU recognized the need for a more comprehensive and up-to-date set of regulations to protect the privacy rights of individuals. Therefore, in 2016, the EU passed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which went into effect on May 25, 2018.

The GDPR is considered the most significant regulation in the field of data privacy, and it establishes a more stringent set of rules for the collection, processing, and storage of personal data. Under the GDPR, individuals have even more control over their data and are entitled to a range of new rights, including the right to be forgotten, the right to data portability, and the right to know when their data has been breached.

In conclusion, while the EU has been a pioneer in the field of data privacy since 1995, the GDPR represents the most significant regulation to date and went into effect in May 2018.