In our inter-connected world, legal advisers to businesses that operate online are increasingly expected to know or be able to find out something about other countries’ privacy laws. Asia is one of the world’s most significant economic regions and it is important to understand how the data protection and privacy environments of Asian countries work.

APEC recently moved one step closer towards the goal of updating its privacy framework in time to mark the 10th anniversary of the framework’s adoption in 2005.

When I took up the job in February last year, I was pretty familiar with the legal and policy issues around privacy, and I knew a fair bit about complaints. One area that I hadn’t had so much experience with was international engagement. But this has long been important and will be a very prominent feature of the Office’s focus in 2015.