GDPR as Global Standard Setter

The GDPR is not the only international legal instrument on data protection but it certainly is one of the most influential ones: Since it has become binding in May 2018 it has influenced several data protection reform processes around the world, inside as well as outside of the EU – notably also in the US and in India. Several big tech firms such as Facebook, Apple or Microsoft have called for the adoption of GDPR-style data protection rules in the US and worldwide, with the Microsoft CEO Nadella describing the GDPR as ‘setting the bar for how people need to think about privacy worldwide’. As the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy predicted it is likely that the GDPR will have a significant effect on the evolution of a world-wide privacy culture in the coming years. It is hence less the question whether the GDPR will have an impact on international law and the right to privacy but rather how significant this influence is going to be. The online symposium takes the occasion of the first anniversary of the GDPR becoming binding on the 25 May 2019 to create a platform for multi-angled perspectives on the GDPR and its influence on international law.

The Symposium’s contributions explore questions on the impact of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on international law.