What Is Personal Data Protection Law 25.326 (Ley de Protección de los Datos Personales)?
Argentina's principal personal-data statute is Law 25.326, the Personal Data Protection Law. The current government text describes a framework for personal data held in public or private files, records, databases, and other processing systems, including private databases intended to provide reports. The statute protects access to information about a person while also addressing data quality, security, confidentiality, transfers, registration, sanctions, and judicial protection. The Agencia de Acceso a la Información Pública (AAIP) identifies itself as the authority responsible for protecting personal data and provides public guidance for access, rectification, updating, and suppression requests. Argentina's official guidance says an access request should generally receive a response within 10 calendar days, while rectification, updating, or suppression should be performed within five business days after the request is received. Those statements describe the published framework; they do not guarantee that every organization will comply. This page is a source-backed orientation, not legal advice. The official materials reviewed are primarily in Spanish, and the Spanish statutory text controls. Current regulatory developments, monetary sanctions, and any broker-specific route should be checked separately before relying on them.
At a glance
- Full name
- Personal Data Protection Law 25.326 (Ley de Protección de los Datos Personales)
- Short code
- Law 25.326
- Jurisdiction
- Argentina
- Enacted
- 2000
- Regulator
- Agencia de Acceso a la Información Pública (AAIP)
- Private right of action
- Yes
- Statutory citation
- Ley 25.326 de Protección de los Datos Personales
Scope, who Law 25.326 covers
Protected data
Data subject rights
Right to information about the existence, purpose, responsible party, and address of a personal-data database
Right of access to personal data held in public databases or private databases intended to provide reports
Right to rectification, updating, suppression, or confidentiality where the law permits
Right to have data under verification blocked or marked as under review while an error is investigated
Right to request removal or blocking of a name from advertising, direct-marketing, or similar databases
Right to complain to the AAIP when an access, correction, updating, or suppression request is denied or unanswered
Right to bring the statutory action for protection of personal data (habeas data) in the circumstances described by the law
Notable features
The framework combines database registration, data-quality duties, access and correction deadlines, a specific advertising-database suppression rule, and a habeas-data action. Argentina's official guidance also points people to the National Registry of Personal Data Databases to identify registered databases and their contact information.
Enforcement & penalties
Regulator: Agencia de Acceso a la Información Pública (AAIP)
Penalties: The statute lists administrative sanctions including a warning, suspension, a fine, closure, or cancellation of a file, registry, or database, and it also contains criminal provisions for specified conduct. The published statutory text includes historical peso amounts; this explainer does not present those amounts as current monetary values. Current sanction practice and amounts require a separate, current legal review.
Private right of action: Law 25.326 provides a judicial action for protection of personal data, commonly called habeas data, to learn what data is held and, where the statutory conditions are met, seek rectification, suppression, confidentiality, or updating. The statute sets out standing, venue, procedure, and possible court-ordered relief; a qualified Argentine lawyer should assess an individual case.
Relevance to data brokers
A broker or directory that maintains a private database intended to provide reports may fall within the statute's database framework. Law 25.326 addresses public-source data and specific marketing or advertising databases, but a public-source exception should not be treated as blanket permission to ignore data-quality, notice, security, or rights obligations. For a current broker request, identify the responsible database, preserve proof of delivery, request access or suppression from the controller, and escalate to the AAIP or legal counsel if the response is insufficient.
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FAQ
What law protects personal data in Argentina?+
Law 25.326, the Personal Data Protection Law, is the principal statute described in Argentina's official legal text. It covers personal data in public and private files, records, databases, and other processing systems within its framework.
How long does an Argentine organization have to answer an access request?+
The law and AAIP guidance state that an access request should be answered within 10 calendar days after it is properly received. The access right is generally free at intervals of no less than six months unless a legitimate interest is shown.
Can I ask a data broker in Argentina to delete or correct my information?+
You can request rectification, updating, suppression, or confidentiality from the organization responsible for the database when the statutory conditions apply. AAIP guidance says rectification, updating, or suppression should be handled within five business days; preserve delivery evidence in case you need to complain or seek habeas data.
Can I remove my name from an advertising database?+
Law 25.326 specifically says a person may request removal or blocking of their name from databases used for advertising, direct sales, or similar activities. Ask the responsible organization first and keep a record of the request.
Who handles a personal-data complaint in Argentina?+
The Agencia de Acceso a la Información Pública (AAIP) provides the official complaint and guidance route. If a request is denied or unanswered, the statute also provides a judicial habeas-data action; legal advice may be appropriate for court proceedings.
Does Argentina's public-source exception mean a broker can ignore every privacy request?+
No. The statute lists circumstances where consent is not required, including certain public sources and limited data lists, but that is not a blanket statement that every processing activity is lawful or that rights requests can be ignored. The source, purpose, data quality, database type, and applicable exceptions matter.
Official sources & citations
Other international privacy regimes
Law 25.326 sits in a global ecosystem of data-protection laws. Compare with other jurisdictions that shape cross-border data flows: