Extraterritoriality in the context of data privacy regulation

An examination of current and proposed regulatory initiatives relating to data privacy shows a tendency of extraterritorial jurisdictional claims. While there is nothing novel about extraterritorial jurisdictional claims as such, the impact they have in the data privacy setting is largely unexplored. This paper discusses extraterritorial jurisdictional claims found in a selection of current and proposed regulatory initiatives relating to data privacy. Special attention is given to how such claims affect, and are affected by, modern use of information and communication technologies.