Chile advances data, AI

Marcelo Drago, a lawyer and former head of Chile’s Transparency Council, said the Personal Data Protection Law will take effect and that the only issue still under discussion is the exact date, pointing to a possible adjustment to the implementation calendar. At the same time, Chilean lawmakers are still moving forward with bills tied to artificial intelligence, privacy, and electronic signatures, with key milestones already set in both chambers.

What is happening with the Personal Data Protection Law?

The Personal Data Protection Law will take effect, and the remaining discussion is the exact date, according to comments Marcelo Drago made to DOE Actualidad Jurídica. The remark comes amid talks about a possible delay to the law’s implementation schedule.

The cited source places the debate around postponing the law’s start date, but without changing the central point, the measure will in fact begin to apply. Drago’s statement was the clearest confirmation so far on the status of that regulatory transition.

What technology bills are still moving through Congress?

Chile’s Senate Economy Committee reviewed, on August 11, 2026, second-constitutional-step bills tied to technology regulation, including Bulletin 14767-03, which would amend Law 17,336 on Intellectual Property to regulate technological protection measures. In the Chamber of Deputies, lawmakers also formally noted the amendment deadline for the electronic signature bill, Bulletin 18286-03.

That deadline expires on Friday, August 21, 2026 at 12:00 p.m., according to the agenda and meeting notes from the Chamber’s Economy Committee. The deadline was expressly recorded in the session documents.

Deadlines and bill status

How is the private sector viewing electronic signatures?

The Santiago Chamber of Commerce publicly welcomed the general approval of the electronic signature bill, Bulletin 18286-03, and highlighted that the deadline to submit amendments remains open until August 21, 2026. According to the CCS, the initiative matters for the digital economy because it lowers transaction costs, makes electronic contracting easier, and especially benefits micro, small, and medium-sized businesses operating in digital environments.

That position became public on August 14, 2026, in a response that accompanied the bill’s legislative progress and underscored its impact on digital transformation and SMEs.

What does Chile’s legislative map look like now?

These sessions point to an active legislative agenda in Chile on personal data, artificial intelligence, and electronic signatures, with a data protection law close to entering into force, AI bills still moving through the process, and a specific deadline for amendments on electronic signatures.

That map also includes Bulletins 17808-07 and 17810-19 on AI and privacy, mentioned in the legislative tracking angle, along with the bills discussed in the Economy committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.