After a seven-year wait, the Bermuda Government has announced that the remaining sections of the Personal Information Protection Act 2016 (PIPA) will come into full force on 1 January 2025. To date, only limited sections of PIPA, primarily those relating to the establishment of the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, have been in force since it was passed in July 2016. The significant sections of PIPA relating to obligations on organisations that use personal information, conditions for use, data transfers and rights for individuals, are not yet in force.

The Personal Information Protection Amendment Act 2023, which was passed in the House of Assembly on 16 June 2023, seeks to harmonise and resolve overlapping provisions in PIPA and the Public Access to Information Act 2010 (PATI) and to make certain conforming changes to the PATI regulations.

This latest announcement means organisations that use personal information in Bermuda have 18 months to ensure they will be in compliance with PIPA when it comes into force.

Last year, Conyers wrote a four-part series that explored different topics relating to PIPA, including why we need privacy legislation, how to prepare for PIPA, the role and requirements of privacy officers and what our rights are as individuals.

The four “Understanding PIPA” articles¹ are still available on our website:

1. Why Do We Need Privacy Legislation?
2. Defining Its Scope and Starting to Prepare
3. The Role and Requirements of Privacy Officers
4. Defining Our Individual Rights