Due to the increasing amount of data collection and processing in today’s digital world, preserving individual and organizational privacy has become an undeniable necessity. In this regard, alongside the efforts of scientific and research centers to address privacy issues, several laws have been established in different countries. Among these, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) at the European level is widely regarded by researchers as the most significant change in the field of privacy laws in recent decades and serves as a strong model for managing personal data. Based on this, in this article, to explore the multifaceted nature of privacy, we first review the history of privacy protection, then focus on the GDPR law. Some of the most important points and considerations regarding the nature and structure of this law, as well as the necessity and challenges of compliance with it, are presented. Additionally, the extensive measures outlined in this law for the implementation and enforcement of privacy protection mechanisms are discussed. Finally, by mapping the discussed content to the current state of privacy in Iran, some key points for the practical implementation of privacy laws in Iran are highlighted.