Personal Data and Cybersecurity in Angola

The Angolan legal framework governing personal data protection has been in force since 2011, following the enactment of the Data Protection Law (Law No. 22/11 of 17 June - "LPDP") and the Electronic Communications and Information Society Services Law (Law No. 23/11 of 20 June - "LCE").

In general, the LPDP details aspects related to the protection of personal data, an essential component of the fundamental right to privacy, as expressed in Article 32(2) of the Constitution of the Republic of Angola. The LCE operates within a specific scope, by complementing or overlapping the provisions of the LPDP, depending on the context, particularly in the processing of personal data associated with the provision and use of electronic communications networks and services and information society services, such as e-commerce or location-based services.

The Angolan Data Protection Agency ("APD") was set up when the LPDP came into force and its role is to monitor compliance with the law regarding data protection, and to issue recommendations, guidelines and instructions on best practices in the processing of personal data.

APD was formally established in 2016 and in recent years has stepped up its efforts to supervise and monitor the organisations responsible for the processing of personal data. APD also collaborates with civil society organisations, by disseminating information on the rights of data subjects.