Chile weighs data, AI and security laws

Chile has several bills moving through Congress that would affect personal data, artificial intelligence, digital violence, and surveillance powers. Among them are Bill 18340-03, which would require certain providers to report breaches involving customer or user databases and would also change personal data protections, the AI systems bill already approved by the lower house and now in its second constitutional review in the Senate, the bill that defines digital violence, and the public security constitutional reform backed by José Antonio Kast’s government.

What does the SERNAC data bill propose?

The National Congress Library briefing identifies Bill 18340-03, which is under review, as an initiative that would require certain providers to disclose breaches affecting databases with customer or user information, while also introducing changes to personal data protection rules.

The briefing appears in an BCN note on regulations and bills related to the National Consumer Service. That matters because it links consumer protection with reporting duties when incidents affect databases. The note places the bill within ongoing legislative work, not among laws already enacted.

What is the status of the AI regulation?

The bill regulating artificial intelligence systems, consolidated from Bills 15.869-19 and 16.821-19, has been approved by the Chamber of Deputies and is in its second constitutional stage in the Senate, under general review by the Committee on Future Challenges, Science, Technology and Innovation.

The measure is not yet law and can still change as it moves through the upper chamber. The available material does not detail its provisions here, but it does confirm that the legislative debate remains open and that the text could be amended before any final approval.

What changes with digital violence?

The bill defining digital violence remains in its second constitutional stage in the Senate, where it has been pending since 2020. It seeks to amend the Criminal Code to punish harmful conduct in virtual environments that affects privacy, reputation, and personal integrity.

The legislative reference shows that the debate is still open and that the proposal is waiting to advance in the upper chamber. The text focuses on conduct carried out in virtual spaces, with direct effects on personal rights that the bill aims to protect through criminal-law changes.

What powers does the security reform discuss?

The constitutional security reform promoted by José Antonio Kast’s government, identified as initiative 18597-07, seeks to create a new Public Security State of Exception. It would last up to 120 days at first, renewable once by the president without congressional review, and it also contemplates powers to intercept, open, or inspect communications.

According to press coverage, the presidential message also proposes making public security a constitutional mandate, allowing the suspension of personal liberties, authorizing the armed forces to support police, and creating a registry of organized crime and terrorism groups tied to a special prison regime. The reform was introduced in the Senate with urgent status, began its review in the upper chamber, and was sent to the committees on Constitution, Defense, and Security, with no date set for a floor vote.

The sharpest controversy centers on the power to intercept, open, or inspect documents and communications. Different media analyses have flagged it as one of the most sensitive points because of its reach into privacy and the lack of parliamentary oversight over the renewal. Lawmakers such as Squella and Longton publicly proposed removing that authority from the text to narrow the scope of the new state of exception and exclude any impact on communications.

What does the bill say about database breaches and personal data protection?

Bill 18340-03 would require certain providers to report breaches affecting databases with customer or user information, and it would also introduce changes to personal data protection.

The National Congress Library briefing places it as an initiative under review linked to the National Consumer Service. The text does not present it as an approved law, but as part of the ongoing legislative debate over breach reporting duties and the protection of personal data.