Data protection rights are in the spotlight this month, as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation goes into effect on May 25.  In Thailand, movements towards finalizing the country’s Data Protection Act (DPA) were recently reported in a leading article in the Bangkok Post.

The latest draft is based on changes incorporated from a public hearing held earlier in the year, including additional exceptions to the consent requirement for the collection of “Personal Data” from a “Data Subject”, the imposition of new duties on “Data Collectors” and “Data Processors” and the removal of imprisonment as a potential penalty for violation of the DPA.

There have been prior reports about efforts to pass a DPA for over a decade, and the current proposal still needs to be approved by the Thai cabinet and the National Legislative Assembly to become effective.  As reported in the Bangkok Post’s article, however, it is expected by at least one commentator to become effective sometime this year.

Stay tuned for updates.