Preparing to protect personal data professionally in Thailand

While it has been in the works for years, the Thai Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) has only been fully in force since 1 June 2022.

As organisations and professionals come to grips with the demands of the PDPA, the data protection landscape in the ASEAN region has seen an increasing number of data breaches, the cost of which has been valued at US$2.87 million according to one report.

By the end of 2022, the five founding members of ASEAN – Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia – are all expected to have data protection laws in place.

To help professionalise data protection in Thailand, Straits Interactive and the School of Law at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), a leading private university based in Bangkok, have entered into a partnership to deliver data protection courses, starting from 23 November 2022.

The courses and programmes under this partnership aim to help operationalise Thai data protection law and establish high standards for data protection careers in the country.

To sign up for the course, visit the DPEX Network Courses page, or contact courses@straitsinteractive.com to get your queries answered.

Dr Natharika Chan & Kevin Shepherdson 

Mr Atip Bijanonda, Vice Chairman, Board of Trade of Thailand, said that the recent introduction of the Thai PDPA has created a “fear of non-compliance” among the Thai people and businesses.

He added that these courses focus on an operational perspective and thus “prepare organisations for compliance and prevent data breaches” and “provide course attendees with comprehensive skills to comply with the law from an operation’s point of view.”

Dr Natharika Chan, Dean of the School of Law, UTCC, added that the courses would enable data protection professionals, such as data protection officers (DPOs), to be “well-equipped to deliver data protection operational compliance” as they cover operational aspects from a “local as well as global perspective.”

Kevin Shepherdson, CEO, Straits Interactive, said that with Thailand’s law now in force, “we anticipate demand for DPOs there to also be on an upward trend.

“We’re excited to be collaborating with UTCC to extend data protection knowledge within the Thai market and look forward to working together to bring more certification courses in data protection to Thailand.”

As organisations and DPOs consider how to best operationalise data protection, what to prioritise, what governance structures to use, and how to manage compliance in an effective and efficient manner, the new data protection course programme and other courses for Thai participants should be useful ways for them to get these questions answered.

To find out more about the right courses to help you with your career progression, contact us at DPEX Network.