Summary

Ibero-America has seen some highly interesting developments in the area of privacy and personal data protection since the start of the twenty-first century. This report describes the current situation in respect of privacy in Ibero-America, focusing on personal data protection, the historical background and the international approach. The Special Rapporteur analyses the issues through the lens of developments in the Uruguayan system over the last 20 years. She also describes the evolution of personal data protection systems in other Ibero-American countries before, in the final section, considering how these systems have coalesced in recent years to form the Ibero-American personal data protection system.

The Special Rapporteur suggests that the Ibero-American data protection system could provide a model for a way of working collaboratively towards a world where the principles of privacy and personal data protection are mutually agreed upon and respected, leading to the implementation of digital privacy standards, and where integration and harmonization are goals that can be achieved without departing from the ethical principles that guarantee respect for human diversity.