Taking stock: The Impact of the India AI Impact Summit 2026
India’s hosting of the AI Impact Summit 2026 was an ambitious undertaking. With 600,000 attendees and 92 signatories to the New Delhi Declaration, the Summit was a showcase of a Global South country taking a leading role in shaping the AI governance agenda. The Summit’s official framing centered on infrastructure, compute, and equitable access to […]
Africa’s Data Protection Reforms: A Continental Perspective on the Drivers of Change in Legal Frameworks
1. Introduction Within an evolving digital landscape, several African jurisdictions have proposed a variety of reforms to existing and novel legal frameworks that regulate the processing of personal data, and the development and deployment of new technologies. Across the continent, there is a growing consensus among legislators on the need to create a regulatory environment […]
Meet Bianca-Ioana Marcu, FPF Europe Managing Director
FPF is pleased to welcome our colleague Bianca-Ioana Marcu to her new role as Managing Director of FPF Europe. With extensive experience in privacy and data protection, she takes on this responsibility at a pivotal moment for digital regulation in Europe. In this blog, we will explore her perspectives on the evolving privacy landscape, her […]
Cross-Border Data Flows in Africa: Examining Policy Approaches and Pathways to Regulatory Interoperability
Cross-border data flows are critical to Africa’s digital economy, enabling trade, innovation, and access to continental and global markets. As the drive towards data-driven technologies among businesses and governments grows, the ability to transfer personal data across borders efficiently and securely has become a key policy concern on the continent, a position echoed by the […]
RECs Report: Towards a Continental Approach to Data Protection in Africa
On July 28, 2022, the African Union (AU) released its long-awaited African Union Data Policy Framework (DPF), which strives to advance the use of data for development and innovation, while safeguarding the interests of African countries. The DPF’s vision is to unlock the potential of data for the benefit of Africans, to “improve people’s lives, […]
Tanzania’s Personal Information Protection Act: Overview, Key Takeaways, and Context
On November 27 2022, the President of Tanzania signed the Personal Information Protection Act, 2022 (PIPA) after it garnered unanimous Parliamentary support following its September 2022 introduction during the 8th Parliamentary sitting. The Act’s passage makes the United Republic of Tanzania (henceforth referred to as “Tanzania”) the 35th country in Africa to enact a standalone data […]
The African Union’s Data Policy Framework: Context, Key Takeaways, and Implications for Data Protection on the Continent
Authors: Mercy King’ori, Ulric Quee, Hunter Dorwart On July 28, 2022, the African Union (AU) released its Data Policy Framework (Framework) following extensive multi-stakeholder engagements. The Framework aims to provide a multi-year blueprint for how the AU will accomplish its goals for Africa’s digital economy. It also sets forth the AU’s vision, scope, and priorities […]
Looking Back to Forge Ahead: Challenges of Developing an “African Conception” of Privacy
In this post for the FPF Blog, Mercy King’ori explores the cultural and societal underpinnings of “privacy” in Africa, looking throughout history, from pre-colonial times, and beyond the modern external influences on the legislative processes resulting in general data protection laws across the continent. The first essential point to start off from is understanding that […]
FPF Report: A Look into DPA Strategies in the African Continent
Today, the Future of Privacy Forum released a Report looking into the Strategic Plans for the coming years of seven African Data Protection Authorities (DPAs). The Report gives insight into the activity and plans of DPAs from Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Mauritius, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso. It also relies on research conducted across […]
How the Kenyan High Court (temporarily) struck down the national digital ID Card: Context and Analysis
The High Court of Kenya, by virtue of a judicial review application, delivered a landmark judgment declaring the proposed national digital ID card (Huduma Card) unconstitutional on October 14, 2021 – a judgment that is now part of the growing data protection and privacy jurisprudence in the country. Kenya enacted its first Data Protection Act […]