Regulatory Monitoring for Technology in Latin America

Latin America's technology regulatory landscape has accelerated dramatically since Brazil's LGPD took full effect in 2020. Now every major LATAM economy has enacted or is finalizing data protection legislation, and attention has expanded to artificial intelligence, platform regulation, and digital competition. Brazil's ANPD issued over 40 regulatory actions in 2024 alone. Mexico's INAI continues enforcing its Federal Data Protection Law with escalating penalties. Colombia's SIC is actively investigating Big Tech platforms. For technology companies serving LATAM users, compliance requirements are multiplying across jurisdictions with little coordination between national regulators.

Key Regulatory Bodies

• Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados (ANPD) — Brazil — Brazil's data protection authority, responsible for enforcing the LGPD (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados). Gained full administrative independence in 2023 and has since published regulations on data breach notification, international data transfers, small business exemptions, and the role of data protection officers.
• Instituto Nacional de Transparencia, Acceso a la Información y Protección de Datos Personales (INAI) — Mexico — Enforces Mexico's Federal Law on Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties (LFPDPPP). Handles data subject complaints, conducts compliance audits, and issues binding resolutions on cross-border data transfers.
• Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC) — Colombia — Colombia's combined competition authority and data protection regulator. Enforces Law 1581/2012 (Habeas Data) and investigates anticompetitive practices by technology platforms operating in Colombia.
• Agencia de Acceso a la Información Pública (AAIP) — Argentina — Oversees Argentina's Personal Data Protection Law (Law 25,326). Argentina holds an EU adequacy decision (currently under review), making the AAIP's enforcement posture relevant for companies routing data between LATAM and Europe.
• Consejo para la Transparencia (CPLT) — Chile — Will take on expanded data protection enforcement responsibilities under Chile's new personal data protection law (which amends Law 19,628 and brings it closer to GDPR standards), expected to enter into force in 2026.

Critical Regulations

• Brazil LGPD (Law 13,709/2018) — Latin America's most comprehensive data protection law, modeled on GDPR. Applies to any entity processing data of individuals in Brazil, regardless of where the entity is incorporated. ANPD's implementing regulations cover consent mechanisms, legitimate interest assessments, DPO requirements, and international transfer mechanisms including standard contractual clauses.
• Brazil AI Regulation Bill (PL 2338/2023) — Advancing through Congress with expected enactment in 2026, this bill establishes a risk-based AI classification system, transparency obligations for automated decision-making, and a regulatory sandbox for AI innovation. If enacted, ANPD would likely serve as the primary enforcement body.
• Mexico Federal Law on Protection of Personal Data (LFPDPPP, 2010) — Requires data controllers to implement privacy notices, obtain consent for data processing, and notify INAI of data breaches. Penalties for non-compliance reach up to 320,000 times Mexico City's minimum daily wage (approximately USD $6.5 million).
• Colombia Law 1581/2012 (Habeas Data) — Establishes data subject rights including access, correction, and deletion. SIC has issued landmark decisions against major technology companies for privacy violations, with fines reaching COP 2,000 million (approximately USD $500,000).
• Chile New Data Protection Law (Ley 21,719/2024) — Chile's comprehensive reform of its 1999 data protection framework. Introduces GDPR-aligned concepts including data protection impact assessments, binding corporate rules, and administrative sanctions. Two-year implementation period puts full enforcement around late 2026.

What You're Missing

Technology regulation in Latin America doesn't follow a single trajectory. Brazil's ANPD publishes technical notes and regulatory guidance that creates de facto obligations before formal rulemaking completes. Mexico's INAI resolutions set precedents on cookie consent and cross-border transfers that aren't easily discoverable without monitoring their official gazette. Colombia's SIC investigations into platform practices can result in orders that apply broadly across the tech sector.

The AI regulatory wave adds another dimension. Brazil's bill is the furthest along, but Colombia, Chile, and Argentina are all developing AI governance frameworks — each with different approaches to risk classification and accountability. Companies deploying AI across LATAM markets need visibility into all of these simultaneously.

How RegPulse Helps

RegPulse monitors ANPD, INAI, SIC Colombia, AAIP Argentina, and emerging data protection authorities across Latin America. When Brazil publishes new international data transfer rules or Mexico's INAI issues an enforcement resolution, you receive a classified alert the same day — covering data protection, AI governance, platform regulation, and digital competition across all major LATAM jurisdictions.