EU data protection
fromTNW | Opinion
1 day agoEurope is dismantling its own rulebook to compete with America
Europe's tech challenges stem from foundational issues, not just regulation, which the Omnibus fails to address.
The companies, whose directors were doctors in Tallaght University Hospital, were hired by Naas General Hospital to run extra clinics paid for by the National Treatment Purchase Fund.
Interoperability is something the title industry needs now more than ever. Our clients consistently tell us that being able to work with the banks, the underwriters and the technology providers they trust most often on a file-by-file basis is critical to their success, he said. That usually means something different from business to business, market to market and order to order. One firm may need one combination of technologies and underwriters for their needs, while the next may want a completely different blend.
As Theresa Defino recently reported, HHS OCR will prioritize risk assessments and expand its investigations into risk management in 2026. Alisa Chestler and Layna Cook Rush of Baker Donelson have summarized some recent recommendations from HHS OCR's January 2026 Cybersecurity Newsletter that regulated entities may want to pay increased attention to at this point: Patching Is a Required Risk Management Activity Legacy Systems and Unpatchable Vulnerabilities Are Not Excuses Unnecessary Software and Default Accounts Create Hidden Risk
Businesses are acting fast to adopt agentic AI- artificial intelligence systems that work without human guidance-but have been much slower to put governance in place to oversee them, a new survey shows. That mismatch is a major source of risk in AI adoption. In my view, it's also a business opportunity. I'm a professor of management information systems at Drexel University's LeBow College of Business,
How do privacy regulators decide which companies to poke? Often, it's a consumer complaint. Other times, it's a headline. And, sometimes, it's just personal. Regulators are consumers, too, after all. But it's important to remember that every brush with a regulator doesn't turn into a full-blown case, said privacy attorney Tyler Bridegan. Bridegan spent nearly two years as director of privacy and tech enforcement for the Texas attorney general's office. He left government work and returned to private practice in October as a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson.
With the Supreme Court potentially poised to invalidate recent tariffs, organizations face a confusing scenario: the possibility of some $200B in refunds to be sought, the specter of tariff reinstatement through other means, and general ongoing unpredictability regarding costs and processes for global trade. Having clear visibility into contract terms - such as price adjustments and renegotiation provisions - is essential to navigating this volatility, while implementing favorable terms in supplier, customer, and partner agreements can help build resilience.
"With this law, we are implementing European requirements in a maximally innovation-friendly way and creating lean AI supervision with a clear focus on the needs of the economy," Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger said in a statement.
There is a growing emphasis on database compliance today due to the stricter enforcement of compliance rules and regulations to safeguard user privacy. For example, GDPR fines can reach £17.5 million or 4% of annual global turnover (the higher of the two applies). Besides the direct monetary implications, companies also need to prioritize compliance to protect their brand reputation and achieve growth.
Rather than stolen data making headlines, it was business stoppage that triggered attention. Moving into 2026, the board's focus should be on ensuring business continuity and building resilience in the face of emerging risks generated by AI usage and attack vectors, quantum computing and geopolitics.
If your partner in Munich mishandles customer data, or your reseller in Paris uses a "black box" AI tool to generate deceptive ads, it isn't just their reputation on the line. It's yours. With the EU AI Act now in full swing and GDPR entering its "mature enforcement" era, the distance between a partner's mistake and your company's $20 million fine has never been shorter.
GDPR fines pushed past the £1 billion (€1.2 billion) mark in 2025 as Europe's regulators were deluged with more than 400 data breach notifications a day, according to a new survey that suggests the post-plateau era of enforcement has well and truly arrived. The figures come from the latest GDPR Fines and Data Breach Survey published by DLA Piper, which puts total fines issued across Europe last year at roughly £1 billion (€1.2 billion), up from £996 million in 2024. While that year-on-year increase is modest, regulators have now handed down €7.1 billion (£6.2 billion) in penalties since GDPR came into force in May 2018.
Axonius has laid off approximately 40 employees, representing less than 4% of its global staff, with the majority of cuts in marketing and sales. Co-founder Dean Sysman has stepped down from his role as CEO to become executive chairman, with company president Joe Diamond appointed as interim CEO. The workforce adjustment aims to refine the company's organizational structure and improve operational efficiency as it prepares for a potential IPO.
Yesterday (Jan. 20), the Commission unveiled its revised Cybersecurity Act proposal after months of behind-the-scenes negotiations that reportedly caused substantial friction between officials and member states. This sweeping update introduces measures to identify and potentially exclude "high-risk" third countries and companies from Europe's critical digital infrastructure across 18 essential sectors, including energy systems. As cybersecurity threats continue rising since the original Act took effect seven years ago, the EU is essentially drawing new battle lines in the global tech landscape.