Denmark
| OVERVIEW | The Act on the Processing of Personal Data came into force on July 1, 2000 and complies with the requirements of the EU Data Protection Directive. |
| ENACTED | 2000 |
| GENERAL PRIVACY LAWS |
Danish Constitution of 1953 contains two provisions on privacy Danish Constitution (Article 72) provides for secrecy of letters and other papers, and in postal, telegraph, and telephone matters. § 263 of the Danish Penal Code on secrecy of mails makes it a criminal offense to open or otherwise acquire access to content of a letter or another closed message addressed to another person. |
| PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION LAWS AND REGULATIONS |
Act on the Processing of Personal Data went into effect on July 1, 2000 and implements the Directive. The Act applies to the processing of data undertaken for a data controller established in Denmark, provided that the activities take place within an EU Member State or data controllers established in a third country if the data collection took place in Denmark. |
| TYPE OF DATA PROTECTED | Personal Data that is processed by automatic means. |
| WORKPLACE PRIVACY LAWS | §263 of Danish Penal Code applies to emails and may be applicable in limited workplace situations. |
| TRANSBORDER TRANSFERS |
The Data Protection Act contains restrictions on the transfer of personal data to third countries outside of the European Economic Area (EEA). Personal data can be transferred to another country only if that country ensures the level of data protection that corresponds to the level of data protection in Denmark. Chapter 7 of the Act on the Processing of Personal Data regulates the transfer of personal data to third countries. Complies with the requirements of the EU Data Protection Directive. |
| FINES AND SANCTIONS | The Act on the Processing of Personal Data provides for civil and criminal liability. The Act also authorizes individuals to file an action to recover monetary damages. |
| OTHER PRIVACY LAWS AND REGULATIONS | |
