Global Privacy: Year in Review and a Look Forward, 2023–2024

In 2023, global privacy developments kept pace with recent years, with a rash of continued activity surrounding data protection, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and consumer privacy issues.

More than a quarter of US states have passed comprehensive consumer privacy legislation similar to the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018. We’ve also seen a wave of consumer litigation testing the scope of older wiretap and other privacy laws as applied to the internet.

Beyond the United States, there is considerable legislative activity in the European Union with respect to online content moderation obligations, cybersecurity, and AI. The United Kingdom was also active with respect to online content moderation. Comprehensive privacy legislation is coming into full effect in China and other major economies, in addition to regulatory enforcement activity from India to the Middle East.

Here we highlight key privacy milestones around the world and preview what may be next.