Why do data protection laws matter?
Privacy is regarded as a fundamental right which is essential for the autonomy and human dignity of individuals. It is a critical right since other human rights are founded on the right to privacy or its derivatives, such as the right to a private life or secrecy of the home. It is the foundation to the protection of individuals against unwanted interferences in their personal life and against arbitrary abuse of power.
Data protections laws act as a guarantee against unwarranted intrusions in the lives of individuals by permitting the setting up of boundaries and creating barriers.
Below is a short video on data protection and privacy.
The Data Protection Act 2017 of Mauritius came into force in 2018 and seeks to align the laws in Mauritius with international standards found in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ¹Convention for the Protection of Individuals with regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (CETS No.108). It set out the principles which govern the processing of personal data in Mauritius and also explains the rights of data subjects.
For further information on data protection in Mauritius, please view our Mauritius Data Protection Guide.
