On 22 January 2021, the 1st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Digital Ministers’ Meeting (ADGMIN) approved the ASEAN Data Management Framework (DMF) and Model Contractual Clauses for Cross Border Data Flows (MCCs). The initiatives were developed by the Working Group on Digital Data Governance chaired by Singapore.

The ASEAN DMF and MCCs are key resources and tools for ASEAN businesses to utilise in their data-related business operations.

The DMF provides a step by step guide for businesses, SMEs, to put in place a data management system, which includes data governance structures and safeguards. Good data management practices are key to help businesses unlock the value of data while ensuring adequate safeguards.  

The MCCs are template contractual terms and conditions that may be included in the binding legal agreements between businesses transferring personal data to each other across borders. This helps reduce the negotiation and compliance cost and time especially for SMEs while ensuring personal data protection when data is transferred across borders. 

The DMF and MCCs are available at the ASEAN website here.

The Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) Press Release on the 1st ADGMIN and the above initiatives is available here.

PDPC’s additional guidance to companies in Singapore who wish to utilise the MCCs in their business contracts is available here.