Companies should fully inventory their dataflows in 2026 to comply with regulations and governance frameworks in an increasingly AI-driven world, Lowenstein Sandler privacy attorney Amy Mushahwar wrote in a post Friday.
AI Privacy
AI privacy concerns are growing as copyrighted works and personal data are used to train, optimize and operate machine learning systems. From facial recognition to inference risks, AI applications often test the limits of existing privacy laws. Regulators worldwide are developing safeguards to govern data use, bias, transparency and consent in AI development. This page tracks legislation, regulatory frameworks and enforcement actions at the intersection of AI and data protection.
Privacy Daily is providing readers with our top 20 most read stories published in 2025. All articles can be found by searching the titles or clicking on the hyperlinked reference numbers.
Despite stricter court rulings and limits on the use of older statutes to regulate newer technologies, 2025's increase in privacy litigation, especially around tracking technologies, looks set to continue into 2026, said privacy lawyers in interviews. Additionally, the potential for lawmakers clarifying the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) could push litigators to bring cases at even faster rates this year as they hope to file before an amendment becomes effective, one lawyer said.
Privacy professionals begin the new year considering significant changes to some state privacy requirements. Lawyers suggested resolutions to review data and get an early start on risk assessments.
Cyprus, which assumes the EU Presidency Thursday for a six-month term, said its priorities include regulatory simplification via the European Commission's proposed omnibus packages and cutting red tape. The EC's digital omnibus, published Nov. 19, includes tweaks to the GDPR, which have stirred controversy (see 2511190005).
There are privacy rules taking effect Thursday in California that have gone “a little bit under the radar,” but companies are beginning to pay attention to them “at the last minute,” Sourcepoint Chief Privacy Officer Julie Rubash told us in an interview.
President Donald Trump’s AI executive order doesn’t have a direct preemptive impact, so companies should comply with state AI laws for now, but expect litigation on several fronts in 2026, attorneys and consumer groups said in a recent analysis of the order (see 2512150050).
U.S. attempts to pressure the EU to back off its digital rules could backfire against American tech companies, telecom consultant Innocenza Genna wrote Dec. 24 on his blog.
AI smart glasses are becoming powerful and appealing tools in the workplace; however, organizations should understand their legal and privacy concerns, said Jackson Lewis lawyer Joseph Lazzarotti in a blog post Monday.
The FTC’s $60 million settlement with Instacart suggests that automation doesn’t “absolve companies of transparency, consent, or fairness obligations,” attorneys for Mintz said in a post Tuesday.