As concern for the distribution of customers’ data starts to rise, Laos amongst other nations in the Asia-Pacific region embraces data protection laws, clamping down on the spread of companies’ customer and manufacturing data beyond their borders.
A recent survey by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) using data through 2022, has found that nine countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Brunei and Nepal, have implemented restrictions on cross-border data transfers.
Eight countries and regions, including Laos and South Korea, have implemented data localization restrictions, enforcing how data can be processed in a certain territory.
China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan have adopted restrictions regarding both data localization and cross-border flows, according to JETRO.
Policies governing the cross-border transfer of personal data have become a particular area of international focus due to concerns about data leaks, Nikkei reports.
China in particular has attracted some scrutiny over the introduction of the Data Security Law in 2021, which restricts the movement of data considered relevant to national security.
This has raised some concerns with foreign entities operating in China as they will no longer be able to share data with their head company in their home countries.
Furthermore, foreign companies may also feel like they are at a disadvantage to local businesses as the free movement of data is affected.
