Data Protection Day / International Data Protection Day / Privacy Day
The Council of Europe states that its Committee of Ministers designated 28 January as Data Protection Day in 2006 and that the day is now celebrated worldwide under names including International Data Protection Day and Privacy Day.
Date and recurrence
28 January
This authority record treats the observance as a fixed annual date. The same month and day can be reused unless a stronger source changes the rule.
Scope and status
The verified scope stored for this record is Council of Europe / worldwide privacy-awareness usage. The site preserves that boundary and does not infer broader government, global or public-holiday status from the observance name alone.
Also known as
Data Privacy Day
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
- Health Information Not Medical Advice.
Sources
- Council of Europe — Data Protection DayIntergovernmental
Frequently asked questions
When is Data Protection Day / International Data Protection Day / Privacy Day?
28 January The stored recurrence guidance is: 28 January.
Does Data Protection Day / International Data Protection Day / Privacy Day fall on the same date every year?
The authority record classifies it as fixed annual, so its month and day are reusable unless stronger evidence changes the rule.
Is Data Protection Day / International Data Protection Day / Privacy Day an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: Council of Europe / worldwide privacy-awareness usage. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes Data Protection Day / International Data Protection Day / Privacy Day?
The stored designation basis is: The Council of Europe states that its Committee of Ministers designated 28 January as Data Protection Day in 2006 and that the day is now celebrated worldwide under names including International Data Protection Day and Privacy Day.. Supporting provenance includes Council of Europe — Data Protection Day. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is Data Protection Day / International Data Protection Day / Privacy Day international or country-specific?
No single country is assigned to this record in the authority dataset. The source-defined scope is: Council of Europe / worldwide privacy-awareness usage. Use that scope rather than assuming worldwide or country-specific status.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-07.
Other observances on January 28
These records also resolve to January 28, 2027 under the current authority data.
Data Protection Day
Council of Europe
Global Community Engagement Day
The Consultation Institute identifies January 28 as Global Community Engagement Day and describes Engage 2 Act as the creator of the observance.
International Day of Peaceful Coexistence
A/RES/79/269
José Martí birth anniversary
Granma identifies January 28 as the birth anniversary of Cuba’s National Hero José Martí and documents recurring commemorations around that date.
National Blueberry Pancake Day
The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council repeatedly identifies January 28 as National Blueberry Pancake Day and publishes promotional assets for the date.
Thank a Plugin Developer Day
WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg declared January 28 Thank a Plugin Developer Day in a 2009 WordPress News post; JetBrains independently references the same January 28 initiative.