Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act enters into force

On June 1, 2022, Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) entered into force after three years of delays after its enactment in May 2019. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Thai government issued royal decrees to extend the compliance deadline to June 1, 2022.

The PDPA is widely based on the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In particular, it also requires data controllers and processors to have a valid legal basis for processing personal data (i.e., data that can identify living natural persons directly or indirectly). If such personal data is sensitive personal data (e.g. health data, biometric data, race, religion, sexual preference and criminal record), data controllers and processors must ensure that data subjects give explicit consent for any collection, use or disclosure of such data. Exemptions are granted for public interest, contractual obligations, vital interest or compliance with the law.

The PDPA also ensures that data subjects have specific rights, which are very similar to the GDPR: the right to be informed, access, rectify and update data, as well as restrict and object to processing and the right to data erasure and portability.

One major difference to the GDPR is that, while there are fines for breaching the PDPA obligations, certain data breaches involving sensitive personal data and unlawful disclosure also carry criminal penalties including imprisonment of up to one year.

Just like the GDPR, the PDPA also affects both entities in Thailand as well as entities abroad that process personal data for the provision of products and/or services within Thai borders.

Just as we have seen with the GDPR, it will be important to observe the evolution the PDPA will venture through as it becomes more incorporated into the Thai companies’ compliance.