DATA PROTECTION LAWS AND DIGITAL CULTURE: A COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF GLOBAL REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS, TECHNOLOGICAL ETHICS, AND HUMAN-CENTRED GOVERNANCE

Personal data is a key aspect of digital culture, influencing online identity, social engagement, institutional trust, and technology-mediated governance. Data protection laws are not only legal but also ethical; with the rise of artificial intelligence, biometric systems, platform economies and cross-border data flows, data protection laws are becoming more relevant than ever. This review sought to analyze the development of data protection legislation by making a comparative study of the laws in the world, focusing on digital culture, technological ethics, AI governance, and human rights. A comparative systematic narrative review approach was used, using legal instruments, policy documents, regulatory guidelines and interdisciplinary academic literature. The major frameworks considered were the EU GDPR, UK GDPR, California CCPA/CPRA, Brazil LGPD, India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, China's PIPL, South Africa's POPIA, the OECD privacy principles, the Convention 108+ of the Council of Europe and various UN and UNESCO instruments. The review identified a convergence of data protection laws across the world, with a focus on transparency, consent, accountability, individual rights and institutional responsibility, and a divergence in how these laws are enforced, digital sovereignty, access by the state, regulation of AI and cultural understanding of privacy. The article adds by suggesting data protection as a legal, ethical, cultural and governance framework for trustworthy, inclusive and human-centred digital transformation.