Asian Business Law Institute and Singapore Academy of Law

January 2024

This issues paper on data embassy is a continuation of ABLI’s ongoing efforts to promote convergence of risk management practices with a view to facilitating the transfer of data across Asia.

What is a data embassy? What are the data embassy models in operation today? What features does a data embassy tend to have? Is the creation of a data embassy the ultimate response to concerns over offshore public authorities’ access to data? What more needs to be done so that the overall robustness of data embassies can be enhanced?

This issues paper attempts to address these queries and put forward further questions for thought in the hope of eliciting more discussions among businesses, policy practitioners and public officials who are studying the data embassy concept and contemplating its adoption.

This issues paper will be accompanied by a soon-to-be-released mapping of the primary data embassy models in operation today.