Learn in the textbookInternational and Adjacent Personal Data Laws — My Number Act and GDPR
DefinitionThe GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation, 一般データ保護規則) is the EU regulation for protecting personal data.
ExplanationAdopted in 2016, it has applied directly in every EU member state since 2018. Whether it applies is not decided by where a business is headquartered alone, so a Japanese company that offers goods or services to people in the EU can fall under it. It sets out a wide range of individuals' rights and, as a rule, also restricts moving personal data outside the EU.
AnalogyIt works like the rules of a venue called the EU. Whatever country a stallholder comes from, anyone doing business with customers inside that venue has to follow its rules.
Memory hookG = General, DP = Data Protection, R = Regulation. "General" signals that it is not limited to one industry but reaches any business handling personal data.