Global law firm Freshfields has published its 2026 Data Law Trends Report, an annual analysis of the developments set to reshape the data law landscape in the year ahead.

The report highlights seven critical themes shaping business strategy worldwide. From the surge in mass privacy claims to board-level AI oversight, these trends reflect a regulatory landscape that is accelerating and overlapping across borders.

Together, these trends signal a new era of regulatory complexity and strategic risk. As enforcement intensifies and rules diverge, the impact on business strategy is acute. These are not incremental changes – they are strategic inflection points for companies aiming to innovate and stay competitive. The seven forces driving the next chapter of data law include:

• The global surge in data privacy mass claims
• An increasingly fractured global rulebook for data, cyber and AI
• An ever-more complex global regulatory landscape relating to protections for young people online
• Rising risks and shifting rules for international data transfers
• AI now a board-level imperative for public companies and investors
• Regulatory convergence across sectors and borders
• The fragmented global landscape for anonymization

Giles Pratt and Christoph Werkmeister, global co-heads of Freshfields’ data privacy and security practice, said: “Data law is now a global fault line. Enforcement is tougher, rules are diverging and old compliance playbooks no longer work. Businesses that anticipate change and embed resilience will turn complexity into competitive advantage. In 2026, success means mastering a fragmented landscape where legal risk, AI governance and growth strategy are inseparable - and where geopolitics can shape compliance as much as regulation.”

Read the full report here.