In this Insight article, Aztrid Camarillo, a Privacy Expert, discusses the importance of Privacy by Design and Default in algorithms, considering elements such as ethical and responsible use of data and the current regulatory landscape in various jurisdictions. 

Every year on January 28, data protection is commemorated across the world. This day marks the anniversary of the Council of Europe's Convention 108 on the protection of personal data. It is considered to be the first legally binding international law in the field of data protection. Whilst the celebration of this day was introduced in 2006, Convention 108 was opened for signature on January 28, 1981, and with its potential to be applied internationally it has been recognized for providing legal certainty on the protection of personal data.

In Africa, the history of data protection traces back to 2001, when Cabo Verde rose to the occasion and became the first country to enact a data protection law. 10 years later in 2011, only nine countries had enacted data protection laws. In 2011 alone, there was a notable increase in adoption. For the first time, three African countries enacted data protection laws that year. Little did we know that this was the beginning of tremendous progress. The following decade was marked by an exponential rate of enactment. Unlike in the previous decade, 22 countries enacted data protection laws increasing the number of African countries with data protection laws to 32. The rate of increase was a remarkable 68.75%. Since 2021 until now, four countries have enacted data protection laws. Senwelo Modise and Phenyo Kedisitse, of Bookbinder Business Law, discuss the key legal developments in the African data protection legal landscape in the last 12 months.

In this Insight article, Dr. Cigdem Ayozger Ongun, Filiz Piyal, and Yaren Kilic, from SRP-Legal, delve into how artificial intelligence (AI) literacy can serve as a crucial tool for privacy protection. It explores the interplay between AI integration, regulatory frameworks like the EU AI Act, and the necessity for an AI-literate society to safeguard privacy and fundamental rights in the digital age.

The rapid pace of development in artificial intelligence (AI) has seemingly only been paralleled by calls for its regulation. Since there is broad consensus regarding the possible impact of unregulated AI, governments globally have ‎responded through policymaking to mitigate this risk. Nevertheless, the overregulation of AI may, in turn, inhibit organizations ‎from harnessing the advantages of AI and also limit a jurisdiction's ability to compete in this growing sector. Accordingly, it is crucial that governments not only develop their AI sectors but also ensure effective regulation.

A number of African jurisdictions have taken steps ‎to address this unique policy challenge, with various African countries implementing AI strategies, others still in the process of consultation with stakeholders on AI policies, and some African countries yet to make any pronouncements whatsoever on their approach towards AI regulation. In this Insight article, Shahid Sulaiman, Davin Olën, and Monique Bezuidenhout, from Dentons, illustrate these three levels of AI regulation by unpacking the approaches of some key African jurisdictions, in the context of the draft AI policy of the African Union (AU), to AI regulation.

In this Insight article, Roger Vilanova Jou, Senior Associate at PwC, delves into the growing impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI), which is sparking debate and regulatory consideration worldwide. As organizations grapple with AI's transformative potential, the question arises: Do we need a new role to navigate its governance effectively?