Data protection in the context of indigenous peoples in Cambodia

Indigenous people’s rights in Cambodia have recently gained greater recognition, notably within the scope of land ownership. Acknowledgement of these rights has not led to a very secure process in issuing land titles, however. The implementation of the legal procedures might be potentially harming Indigenous peoples’ personal rights to privacy, as their data, collected in the course of administrative enquiries, are left without protection. The issue of data protection in Cambodia is potentially another threat to indigenous rights as this would hinder indigenous data sovereignty. The Royal Government of Cambodia is developing several legal tools and policies to respond to the challenges of modern data protection. However, even if the Cambodian legal system is mostly evolving into a more efficient structure capable of protecting personal data, the legal framework is still developing and not ready to face such challenges. Some hopes are emanating from regional and international initiatives, such as the latest work of ASEAN and the tidal wave of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation, already influencing practices in Cambodia.