Updates on developments in data privacy and cybersecurity
On 20 January 2026, the European Commission published a proposal to amend the Directive (EU) 2022/2555 (NIS2) as part of a broader package to streamline the EU’s cybersecurity framework. The Commission also issued a proposal to revise the EU Cybersecurity Act (CSA2), which we cover in a separate blog post.
The proposed amendments build…
On 20 January 2026, the European Commission published a proposal for a Regulation to update and replace the Cybersecurity Act (Regulation 2019/881). The proposal—known as the Cybersecurity Act 2 (CSA2)—forms part of a wider package aimed at modernizing and streamlining the EU’s cybersecurity framework and is closely linked to the Commission’s parallel proposal to amend…
On January 8, 2026, the California Privacy Protection Agency (“CalPrivacy”) announced an enforcement action against Rickenbacher Data LLC (d/b/a “Datamasters”), an information reseller, for failing to register as a data broker under the California Delete Act. Datamasters agreed to pay a $45,000 administrative fine, among other remedial measures. In November, CalPrivacy launched a Data Broker…
On November 12, 2025, UNESCO’S General Conference adopted its Recommendation on the Ethics of Neurotechnology (“the Recommendation”)–the first attempt at establishing a global legal framework for the ethical development and use of neurotechnology. The Recommendation aims to set out a comprehensive rights-based framework for the entire life cycle of neurotechnology, from the design of neurotechnology…
On 5 December 2025, the Act Transposing the NIS 2 Directive and Regulating Key Aspects of Information Security Management in the Federal Administration (Gesetz zur Umsetzung der NIS-2-Richtlinie und zur Regelung wesentlicher Grundzüge des Informationssicherheitsmanagements in der Bundesverwaltung (“NIS2UmsG”) (see here, in German only) became binding in Germany. According to the Federal Office for…
On December 22, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued an order setting aside its 2024 final consent order against Rytr, LLC (“Rytr”) on the grounds that the facts alleged in the Rytr complaint did not violate Section 5. The Commission further found that the Rytr order did not provide any benefit to consumers and thus…
On December 4, 2025, the German Federal Government published its Federal Modernization Agenda, setting out a series of suggested amendments to the GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act (Bundesdatenschutzgesetz). Among the key measures, Germany seeks to shift certain responsibilities from users to manufacturers and providers of standard IT products—following the model of the…
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent letters to 10 companies—whose identities were not publicly disclosed—on December 22, 2025, warning them about potential violations of the Consumer Reviews Rule. The Rule, which took effect in October 2024, targets deceptive online review and testimonial practices. These warning letters mark the FTC’s first public enforcement action under the…
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it agreed to proposed consent orders with two companies that experienced recent cybersecurity incidents, Illuminate Education (“Illuminate”) and Illusory Systems, which does business as Nomad (“Illusory”), to resolve allegations that both companies’ information security practices had violated Section 5 of the FTC Act. Both consent orders include…
On December 16, 2025, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) published a preliminary draft of the Cybersecurity Framework Profile for Artificial Intelligence (“Cyber AI Profile” or “Profile”). According to the draft, the Cyber AI Profile is intended to “provide guidelines for managing cybersecurity risk related to AI systems [and] identify[] opportunities for…
