How do I know if the country I am sending personal information ...

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Question: How do I know if the country I am sending personal information to has privacy rules consistent with the Privacy Act?

Answer: The Office of the Privacy Commissioner does not have a list of countries with privacy laws comparable to Australia. The European Union assesses the privacy laws of a country to establish whether they have an adequate level of protection to satisfy the requirements of Article 25 of the European Union Directive 95/46/EC on the Processing of Personal Data and on the Free Movement of Such Data (1995). These laws are also likely to meet the requirements of National Privacy Principle 9 (NPP 9). Information on these assessments can be found at the following website www.europa.eu.int/comm/internal_market/privacy/adequacy_en.htm.

Most European countries and some others have passed laws for the public and private sectors based on the OECD principles. More information which might be of assistance can be found at the privacy/data protection regulators around the world link. You may also wish to seek legal advice on this issue.