International Data Protection Day 2026: Know your rights!

This Wednesday, 28 January, the Cayman Islands joined the rest of the world in celebrating International Data Protection Day. 

Some Ombudsman office staff members spent part of the day meeting with interested members of the public in front of our offices at Anderson Square, answering questions about data privacy and access rights while also providing some promotional material to visitors. Approximately 100 members of the public stopped by the information booth on Wednesday to learn more about data protection rights.

Cayman’s Data Protection Act (DPA), which came into effect on 30 September 2019, contains important rights for individuals, including the right to be informed about how personal data is being used. Individuals also have the right to request corrections to inaccurate personal data, to object to direct marketing and to request access to their personal data.

The DPA also sets rules for the use of personal data by public and private sector organizations based on eight core principles. Those include fairness, adequacy, retention and security of personal data processing, among other requirements.

The Office of the Ombudsman is tasked with oversight and enforcement of the DPA. Individuals have the right to complain to the Ombudsman if they believe their data is not being processed legally or fairly.

The DPA requires personal data breaches to be reported to the Ombudsman and affected data subjects. The most common data breach notifications involve instances where emails containing personal data have been inadvertently sent to unintended recipients. Individuals who have concerns about how their data is being used by organizations can make a complaint to the Ombudsman for investigation under the DPA.

Please visit the Ombudsman website for more information including FAQs, guidance and other resources to help you understand your data protection rights and obligations: www.ombudsman.ky/data-protection or send your questions to: info@ombudsman.ky

You can also check our social media channels this week at Facebook and LinkedIn to learn more about your data protection rights.