International

On September 8, 2026, Kenya’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (“ODPC”) published new Guidance Notes for Cross-border Data Transfers (“Guidance”), providing organizations with more detailed guidance on the application of Kenya’s rules governing transfers of personal data outside the country.

The Guidance arrives at an interesting time for Kenya’s data protection framework. Kenya and the European Union are currently engaged in an adequacy process, and in June 2026 the European Commission welcomed progress in that process, noting the “positive assessment so far” and its intention to conclude the process as soon as possible. Against that backdrop, several features of the Guidance will look familiar to organizations accustomed to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), including its treatment of adequacy, appropriate safeguards, Binding Corporate Rules (“BCRs”), assessments of third-country laws, and supplementary safeguards. But the comparison only goes so far. The Guidance also illustrates several important differences between Kenya’s cross-border transfer framework and the GDPR, including in relation to sensitive personal data, data localization, legitimate interests, and onward transfers. For multinational organizations seeking to use global transfer frameworks across jurisdictions, those differences are important.

Continue Reading Kenya Issues New Cross-Border Data Transfer Guidance: Familiar Concepts, but Important Local Differences

On August 14, 2026, the French Constitutional Council (the “Constitutional Council”) struck down Article 1 of France’s Act to protect minors from the risks posed by the use of social media (the “Act”), which would have barred minors under the age of fifteen from accessing online social media services. The Constitutional Council held that the prohibition infringed on the freedom of expression and communication in a manner that was not appropriate, necessary, or proportionate to the objective pursued and, separately, that the legislature failed to provide the legal safeguards required to protect the right to respect for private life in connection with the age verification process that the ban would, by necessity, have entailed.

We summarise key aspects of the decision below.

Continue Reading French Constitutional Council Strikes Down Under-15 Social Media Ban

On July 20, 2026, the French data protection authority (the Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés, “CNIL”) published a joint exploratory note with the French AI and Digital Council (“CIANum”) on the data protection implications of agentic AI (the “Note”). The Note is exploratory rather than prescriptive: it does not purport to state definitive regulatory expectations, and it does not announce forthcoming guidance. However, it does provide helpful considerations for when the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) might come under strain in the course of processing personal data via autonomous systems, and identifies legal and technical measures that might help mitigate potential risks. The CNIL frames this exercise as connected to its engagement with several international counterparts, including through the G7 data protection authorities during the French G7 presidency.

The Note is the latest in a rapidly accumulating body of regulator commentary on agentic AI, including by the UK ICO, Spanish AEPD, and Singaporean IMDA. Below are some key takeaways.

Continue Reading French CNIL Publishes Note on Agentic AI and Data Protection

On 20 May 2026, Brazil adopted Presidential Decree No. 12,976, establishing a comprehensive framework to address violence against women online. Adopted alongside a parallel decree (No. 12,975) reforming intermediary liability, it reflects a more assertive approach to regulating online harms, including those driven or amplified by AI. Together, these measures will require companies to reassess internal processes to ensure rapid content removal and more proactive monitoring, including for AI‑enabled services.

Continue Reading Brazil Steps Up Regulation of Violence Against Women in the Digital Environment

On 19 May 2026, the European Commission published its long-awaited draft, non-binding guidelines on the classification of high-risk AI systems (“HRAIs”) under the EU AI Act (the “Guidelines”). Across three documents—covering general principles, high-risk classification in the context of regulated products (Annex I), and high-risk use cases (Annex III)—the Commission sets out its approach to one of the AI Act’s central questions: when does an AI system fall within the high-risk regime (and, just as importantly, when does it not)?

Rather than restating every aspect of the Guidelines, this post highlights a number of interpretative points likely to matter most in practice.

Continue Reading EU AI Act Update: The European Commission Publishes Draft Guidelines on HRAIs

On March 12, 2026, the Italian Data Protection (“Garante”) adopted a decision concerning the transfer of personal data of banking customers from Intesa Sanpaolo S.p.A. (the “Bank”) to Isybank S.p.A., a newly established digital bank within the same corporate group.  The Garante found that the Bank’s processing in connection with the transfer of approximately 2.4 million customers to Isybank was unlawful.

We set out the decision’s key findings below.

Continue Reading Italian DPA Fines Bank over the Transfer of Customer Data in the Context of a Corporate Transaction

On March 2, 2026, the UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (“DSIT”) launched its consultation, titled “Growing up in the online world: a national conversation”. The consultation is open until 26 May 2026, after which the government will publish a summary of responses and its proposed approach. DSIT has indicated that it intends to move quickly on the consultation’s findings, drawing on newly granted powers that allow for accelerated implementation of online safety measures.

The consultation seeks views on a wide range of potential measures to strengthen children’s safety and wellbeing online, including more robust age‑assurance mechanisms, a statutory minimum age for social media, raising the UK’s age of digital consent, restrictions on certain features (such as livestreaming and disappearing messages), and new obligations for AI chatbots and generative‑AI services.

DSIT’s proposals could significantly expand regulatory expectations beyond the Online Safety Act 2023 (“OSA”)—including potential age‑based access limits (including differing safeguards as between teens and younger children), feature‑level restrictions, and enhanced duties for AI‑enabled services. Early engagement will be important to ensure that the government takes account of the views of affected service providers and understands the operational and technical implications of the measures proposed.

Continue Reading UK Government Launches Consultation on Children’s Online Experiences, Including New Obligations for AI

On 19 November 2025, the European Commission (“Commission”) officially presented its Digital Omnibus Package (see here and here). The initiative represents a comprehensive update to the EU’s digital regulatory landscape, which the Commission frames as a competitiveness and simplification initiative aimed at reducing administrative burdens and enhancing legal certainty for businesses. Although the final text is likely to evolve during negotiations with the European Parliament and the Council of the EU (“Council”), the package, if adopted in its present form, would introduce significant changes to data protection obligations, cookie rules, cybersecurity regulations and the EU AI Act.

The Digital Omnibus Package consists of two proposed regulations: a “Digital Omnibus” that would amend, amongst other legislation, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ePrivacy Directive, NIS2 Directive and Data Act, and a “Digital Omnibus on AI” that would amend the EU AI Act. We outline below key proposals from the Digital Omnibus that have particular significance for organizations operating in the EU.

A summary of amendments affecting the Data Act and the key proposals in the Digital Omnibus on AI will be addressed in subsequent blog posts.

Continue Reading European Commission Proposes Revisions to GDPR and Other Digital Rules Under Digital Omnibus Package

Over the past few months, there have been several notable developments in the cross-border data frameworks of the U.S., EU, UK, Brazil, and several Asia Pacific (“APAC”) countries. These developments reflect evolving regulatory approaches to international data flows, trade agreements, and national security priorities—each with certain nuances and particularities that multinational companies need to understand and be prepared to navigate. 

This blog post provides a brief summary of these developments and key takeaways for companies transferring personal data to or from these jurisdictions. 

Continue Reading Roundup of Cross-Border Data Transfer Developments

On September 17, 2025, Brazil enacted the Digital Statute of the Child and Adolescent (“Digital ECA”), establishing a pioneering regulatory framework for protecting children (under 12 years of age) and adolescents (between the ages of 12 and 18) online. Brazil’s Congress approved the new law in a matter of just a few days in response to parents’ pressure, after a well-known Brazilian digital influencer published a series of online videos on the “adultization” of children on the internet.

Continue Reading Brazil Adopts Law Protecting Minors Online