The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation that applies to all organizations operating within the EU and also to organizations outside of the EU that offer goods or services to, or monitor the behavior of, EU data subjects. It is designed to harmonize data privacy laws across Europe and to protect and empower all EU citizens’ data privacy. The GDPR’s relevance extends beyond geographical and sector-specific boundaries because it applies to any organization that processes the personal data of individuals within the EU, making it a global standard for data protection.

While other options like Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) have significant impacts on specific sectors or regions, GDPR’s broad scope makes it relevant to a wide range of organizations worldwide. It sets a precedent for data protection laws globally, influencing other regulations and becoming a de facto standard for many companies, even in countries without similar laws.

References := This explanation is based on the principles of Information Security Management, particularly in the domain of legal and regulatory compliance, as outlined in the BCS Foundation Certificate in Information Security Management Principles. The GDPR’s wide-reaching impact is also supported by various legal analyses and discussions in the field of international data protection123.