Ecuador: From a Country-Wide Data Breach to One of the Most Innovative Privacy Laws in the Region

Privacy is Global

Produced by Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo In 2019, Ecuador went through the biggest data breach in its history, with the personal data of most citizens leaked online. The consequences are still difficult to measure, but the gravity of the situation pushed everyone to act- FINALLY privacy advocates who had been pushing for data protection legislation for years were able to capitalize on this event to get a law passed in May of this year. The best part of the story, –and the one we’re telling in this episode– is, what happened behind the scenes: how privacy advocates and experts in Ecuador came together to discuss the issues and build a comprehensive and innovative privacy law. Guided by Ricardo Chica from Fundación Ciudadanía y Desarrollo we also look at what activists are doing now that the law has passed and what needs to change in Ecuador to not only prevent future data breaches and violations but to also promote a culture of privacy in the country.