Regional Overview Regional Overview Country Northern Mar- Statute for Digital ID system (yes/no) ⛔ Statute details (if any) Other laws governing digital ID Available grievance mechanism Table 4 Domestic legal framework for data protection and privacy across – iana Islands U.S. federal and territorial General administrative com- identity and e-government plaint routes under U.S./ territo- laws; no separate digital-ID rial system Country statute identified Palau ⛔ – Legal framework for Web3- General administrative combased Digital Residency Comprehensive data-protection / privacy law? (yes/ no) Kazakhstan ✅ ✅ Kyrgyzstan ✅ ✅ Tajikistan ✅ ⛔ Turkmenistan ✅ ✅ Uzbekistan ✅ ✅ China ✅ ✅ Hong Kong ✅ Japan Mongolia identity laws Papua New ⛔ – Guinea Digital ID Policy 2025; General administrative com- civil-registration and iden- plaint mechanisms tity laws; e-government strategies Samoa ✅ National Dig- Civil-registration and iden- General administrative com- ital Identifica- tity laws; ICT strategies; plaint mechanisms tion Act 2024 Act clarifying that digital ID does not confer citizenship Solomon ⛔ – Islands Civil-registration laws; ICT General administrative com- strategies; early digital-ID plaint mechanisms discussions Tonga ⛔ – Nationality Identity Card General administrative com- Act; Civil-registration and plaint mechanisms identity laws; planning documents for digital ID Tuvalu ⛔ – Civil-registration laws; General administrative com- national digital strategies; plaint mechanisms digital ambitions articu- ⛔ – CRIM Act 2021; VNI Act; General administrative com- other laws regulating Vanu- plaint mechanisms Government access remains broad; risks from integrated biometric databases persist. Legal safeguards exist, but government access remains broad and oversight is limited in practice. Law on Personal Data provides general safeguards, but biometrics are not given a separate higherprotection regime; no clear limits on state access. Biometric data is treated as sensitive, but there are no clear restrictions on state access and transparency is limited. Personal data law exists, but encryption and limits on government access remain weak in relation to digital ID and biometrics. SUB REGION - EAST ASIA atuID and E-ID Extensive state access, surveillance risks and AIlinked identity infrastructure raise major concerns. Partially / not explicitly Privacy law exists, but there are limited explicit restrictions on government access to digital ID related data. ✅ ✅ Cases of forged ID cards, and incidents of fraud. ✅ ✅ lated Vanuatu Notable gaps/risks for digital ID SUB REGION - CENTRAL ASIA plaint mechanisms Program; general ICT and Biometric data treated as sensitive? Centralised service integration and limited evidence of strong exclusion safeguards remain concerns. 40 41 STATELESSNESS ENCYCLOPEDIA ASIA PACIFIC THIRD EDITION - REGIONAL OVERVIEW REPORT 2026