After remaining as drafts for more than 20 years largely due to the resistance from business sectors, in 2019 the Personal Data Protection Act was finally approved by the National Legislation Assembly of Thailand (the legislative body under military regime after 2014 coup). Under anxiety and confusion, several sectors are preparing to comply with this law which took effect in May 2020. This seminar addresses the observed influences of transnational standards and examine the following questions. Is legal diffusion different in the context of digital law? What are the local conditions of successful legal reception? Can a law received through market-driven motivation become tool for human rights protection or democratisation?

Thitirat Thipsamritkul is a lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University (Center of International Law, Center of Japanese Legal Studies), where she teaches public international law, human rights law, media law, law and technology. 

Read our story about her visit to ANU College of Law here.