Backgrounder: Jurisdictional comparison: Privacy protections

Text version of Figure 1

Jurisdictional comparison: Privacy protections

	European Union (GDPR)	United Kingdom	New Zealand	Australia	California	Alberta	British Columbia	Quebec	Canada (Bill C-11)
Coming into force/last major update	2018	2018	2020	2018	2020	2014	2004	2021	2020 (introduced)
Defining privacy as a human right	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No
Individual knowledge and understanding	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Accountability: compliance with the law as objective standard	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Audit: proactive to verify compliance* Φ	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Administrative monetary penalties: broad list of violations	Yes	Yes	N/A	Yes	Yes	N/A	N/A	Yes	No
Absence of appeal before privacy-specific tribunal	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Broad discretion to decline/discontinue complaints* Φ	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Full discretion for public education and guidance	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A	No
Codes approval: under DPA procedures	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A	No	N/A	N/A	No
Trans-border: specific provisions	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
* MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith introduced Bill C-413 (42nd Parliament) to provide the OPC with these authorities.
Φ Proposed by Justice Canada in Respect, Accountability, Adaptability: A discussion paper on the modernization of the Privacy Act (November 2020).