Glossary

    Data Residency

    Data Protection

    Data Residency (or data sovereignty) refers to the requirement that data must be stored and processed in specific geographic locations. Many regulations mandate that certain data types never leave a particular country or region.

    AWS Controls for Data Residency

    • Region Selection: choose AWS regions that align with regulatory requirements
    • SCPs: use aws:RequestedRegion condition to prevent resource creation in unauthorized regions
    • S3 Object Lock: prevent data from being moved or deleted
    • VPC Endpoints: ensure data stays on the AWS network without crossing the internet
    • AWS Outposts: AWS hardware in your data center for data that must stay on-premises

    Regulatory Frameworks

    • GDPR: EU personal data requires appropriate safeguards for non-EU transfers
    • CCPA: California consumer privacy regulations
    • Data Protection Acts: country-specific laws (France, Germany, Australia, Brazil LGPD)
    • Government Cloud: AWS GovCloud (US) for ITAR/EAR-regulated data

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