To prepare the country for enforcement of the new law, the ministry has set up the Data Protection Knowledge Centre (DPKC) in parallel with the office of personal data protection committee, which will be established under the new legislation. Breach of data and violation of data owners’ rights are increasingly possible as the country moves ahead with its digital economy and society platforms, he said, adding that abuse of personal data for commercial benefit without proper consent from the data owners are already common. Under the EU law, Thai and other foreign companies may be subject to hefty fines if there was any data breach involving EU citizens. Otherwise, the country’s economy could be negatively affected due to the lack of good standards on personal data protection. As a result, personal data protection is a crucial factor for national cybersecurity and the economy, she said.

Source: The Nation Bangkok May 18, 2018 19:52 UTC