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Data Protection Day 2026

Why Data Protection Day Matters in 2026 and How Organisations Can Use It to Build Trust

Data Protection Day is more than a date in the calendar. In 2026, it has become a vital reminder for organisations to pause, reflect and strengthen how they protect personal data in an increasingly complex digital world.

With artificial intelligence accelerating, cyber threats growing more sophisticated and regulatory scrutiny intensifying, data protection is no longer a back office compliance issue. It sits at the heart of customer trust, ethical innovation and sustainable business.

At Data Protection People, we mark Data Protection Day every year because we see first hand the difference strong governance makes, not just for organisations, but for the people whose data they handle.

In this article, we explain why Data Protection Day matters in 2026, who benefits from it, why we are so passionate about privacy and how your organisation can use the day to raise awareness and improve practice across the year.

What Is Data Protection Day?

Data Protection Day is an international awareness day focused on promoting privacy rights, responsible data use and good information governance.

It originated from the Council of Europe’s Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty dealing with privacy and data protection. Today, it is widely recognised across the UK and Europe as a moment for organisations to:

• Reflect on their GDPR compliance
• Re educate staff
• Review policies and processes
• Communicate transparently with customers
• Re commit to ethical data use

For UK organisations, it is also a valuable opportunity to demonstrate accountability under UK GDPR and show regulators, partners and customers that privacy is taken seriously.

Why Does Data Protection Day Matter in 2026?

The data protection landscape has shifted dramatically over the last few years.

In 2026, organisations are grappling with:

• Increased use of generative AI and automated decision making
• Rising volumes of Subject Access Requests
• Growing regulatory expectations around DPIAs and accountability
• Supply chain and third party risk
• Public concern about how personal data is collected and shared

Data Protection Day matters because it creates a natural focal point to step back and assess whether your governance framework is keeping pace with these changes.

As one of Data Protection People’s founders Phil Brining puts it:

“Data protection is not about slowing innovation down. It is about building systems people can trust. When organisations get privacy right, everything else becomes more resilient.”

Why We Are Passionate About Data Protection at DPP

At Data Protection People, data protection is not just what we do, it is why we exist.

We work with organisations every day that want to do the right thing but are navigating complex regulations, limited resources and fast moving technology. Our mission has always been to make data protection practical, proportionate and people focused.

Catarina Santos, Data Protection Management Consultant at Data Protection People and co-host of the Data Protection Made Easy podcast, explains:

“When privacy is embedded properly, it stops being scary. It becomes part of everyday decision making, from product design to marketing campaigns. That is what we try to help organisations achieve.”

Caine Glancy, Data Protection Support Manager and podcast co-host, adds:

“We see organisations transform when they stop treating GDPR as a one off project and start treating it as a culture. Data Protection Day is a brilliant reminder that this is ongoing work, not a box to tick.”

Who Benefits From Data Protection Day?

Individuals and Customers

For individuals, the day raises awareness of their rights, including access, erasure, objection and transparency. It encourages people to ask questions about how their data is used and to expect better standards from organisations.

Employees

Internal teams benefit from renewed training, refreshed guidance and clearer processes. Awareness days often prompt conversations that surface risks before they turn into incidents.

Organisations

Businesses benefit through:

• Reduced breach risk
• Stronger governance
• Improved regulatory confidence
• Increased customer trust
• Better prepared SAR and DPIA processes

Regulators and the Wider Economy

When organisations raise standards collectively, it strengthens the wider digital economy and supports responsible innovation across sectors.

How Can Organisations Use Data Protection Day to Raise Awareness?

Data Protection Day does not need to be a marketing campaign alone. Used well, it can be a powerful internal catalyst for improvement.

Here are practical ways organisations can make the most of it.

Run Refresher Training Sessions

Short GDPR refresher sessions, lunch and learns or sector specific workshops help reinforce good practice and highlight emerging risks.

Review Policies and Notices

Use the day to check that privacy notices, retention schedules, DPIA templates and SAR procedures are still fit for purpose.

Spotlight Your DPO or Privacy Champions

Give visibility to the people responsible for governance and encourage staff to engage with them.

Share Learning From Real World Scenarios

Discuss recent enforcement actions or anonymised incidents to show how mistakes happen and how they can be prevented.

Engage Customers and Partners

Publishing transparency updates, blog posts or FAQs demonstrates accountability and builds confidence externally.

Common Questions About Data Protection Day

Is Data Protection Day a legal requirement?

No, organisations are not legally required to mark the day. However, it is widely recognised as good practice and supports the accountability principle under UK GDPR.

Is it the same as Data Privacy Day?

Yes. Many organisations refer to it as Data Privacy Day. At Data Protection People, we use Data Protection Day to reflect our focus on governance, compliance and practical implementation.

Should SMEs care about Data Protection Day?

Absolutely. GDPR applies to organisations of all sizes. SMEs often benefit most from using the day to strengthen training and processes before problems arise.

Does participating help with compliance?

Awareness campaigns alone do not make an organisation compliant, but they are a valuable part of a wider governance programme that includes audits, DPIAs, training and risk assessments.

Turning One Day Into Year Round Impact

The real value of Data Protection Day is not what happens on the day itself, but what it triggers afterwards.

Organisations that use it as a springboard for action often go on to:

• Commission audits or gap analyses
• Refresh training programmes
• Improve SAR handling
• Embed DPIAs into project workflows
• Strengthen third party due diligence

As Catarina puts it:

“The most mature organisations are the ones that keep talking about privacy long after the awareness day has passed.”

How Data Protection People Can Help

If Data Protection Day has prompted you to reflect on your own governance framework, our team can support you with:

• GDPR audits and compliance reviews
• SAR management services
• DPIA support
• Tailored training programmes
• Outsourced DPO services

Our aim is simple, to help organisations protect people, build trust and operate with confidence in a data driven world.

How to Create a Culture of Privacy in Your Business

Most businesses deal with data, whether that’s collecting it for marketing, generating it through customer purchases or processing it for payroll. Without a robust data privacy culture, your business is at risk of accidental data breaches, attacks from hackers and non-compliance with GDPR regulations. 

In this article, we’ll discuss the steps you can take to create a culture of privacy that protects your business and the data that you use day-to-day.

Build Clear Policies & Processes

The first step to creating a culture of privacy is creating clear guidelines for handling, storing and sharing personal information within the organisation. Your policies should be aligned with GDPR principles to ensure compliance. 

Policies should be easily accessible to all employees so they always know where to find the most up-to-date information. Any roles that are particularly important for data privacy should have specific responsibilities so employees understand their day-to-day responsibilities. 

You should regularly review your policies to ensure that they’re up to date with changes in the law, technology or industry standards. Communicate any updates with your team as they happen. 

Lead by Example

Any change that you want to see in your business needs to be modelled from the top down. Your senior leadership needs to be displaying privacy-first behaviour if you want the rest of the business to do the same. 

A Data Protection Officer (DPO) or an internal privacy champion can help make this focus on data privacy more visible. A DPO oversees all aspects of data privacy compliance and can provide support for employees. They can be externally outsourced or an existing employee. 

Invest in GDPR Training

The most important thing you can do in creating a culture of privacy is to train and educate your staff. Data breaches often occur unintentionally because of human error, so employee awareness is crucial. 

From understanding the core GDPR concepts and data subject rights to designing with data protection in mind, there’s lots to navigate. Data Protection People’s GDPR training can be tailored to your organisation’s needs, ensuring that your team has the knowledge they need for handling customer data or having secure communications.

Strengthen Your Infrastructure & Technology

Your organisation’s infrastructure and the technology your staff use should support your privacy culture. Assess all of your tools for their security measures, data minimisation features and access controls. 

Embedding privacy into your infrastructure may be slightly harder as it involves evaluating processes and procedures, and setting up others for reporting risky practices. 

Reinforce, Monitor and Improve

Privacy culture isn’t built overnight. To keep it top-of-mind, regular training, updates on new threats and regulations and audits are key. 

Make it an ongoing conversation, rather than something to forget about. This is where those privacy champions or your DPO will come in useful. 

Create a Robust Privacy Culture with Data Protection People

Need help creating an organisation of privacy-first people? With GDPR training that’s tailored to your business’s practices, we can work with you to create a culture of privacy to be proud of. Get in touch today. 

5 Habits That Are Putting Your Business’s Data At Risk

Whether it’s clicking a link in a phishing email or sending sensitive data to the wrong person, it’s often a simple error that could leave your business dealing with financial losses and reputational damage due to a major data breach or cyber attack.

In this article, we’ll look at five small habits that can have a big impact on your data security, including:

• Using weak passwords
• Oversharing on email and IM tools
• Ignoring software updates
• Storing data anywhere
• Falling for phishing

Using Weak Passwords

A habit that we might all be guilty of. Using weak passwords or reusing the same passwords across multiple accounts allows attackers to exploit one breach across a number of different systems.

Brute-force and credential-stuffing attacks are successful largely because of weak passwords. 

The solution: Use unique passwords for each account, combined with multi-factor authentication (MFA) where possible. A password manager can help you keep track of different passwords and even obscure passwords from employees so they can have access to accounts without being able to view the password itself.

Oversharing on Email and IM Tools

Are your employees sending personal data, customer information, or confidential files through unsecured channels? Casual internal messaging platforms like Slack and Teams are great for quick communication, but they can lead to data leaks. 

Even email is risky – it’s not designed for secure data transmission, and it can be intercepted, especially when sent to external recipients. 

The solution: Always use secure file-sharing platforms that have end-to-end encryption enabled. Make sure your team is trained to avoid transmitting sensitive information via unprotected channels. 

Ignoring Software Updates

Software updates aren’t just nice-to-haves; they’re an important part of data security. Attackers target out-of-date systems as they’re likely to have well-known vulnerabilities that will let them in easily. 

Whether it’s a laptop, a browser, a mobile app or an important business system, delays in updating these systems leave your company open to attack. 

The solution: Enable automatic updates and centralised patch management for all devices, systems and apps. Training staff on the importance of updating software will also support this solution.  

Storing Data Anywhere

Do you know where your employees are saving their work files? From personal clouds, USB drives, and desktops to unauthorised, unvetted storage platforms, unsecured locations might be convenient for your employees, but they’re really bad for data protection. 

Scattered data increases the risk of data breaches, leaving your business data exposed to bad actors. 

The solution: Use approved platforms, write a clear policy on how and where to store your data, and ensure your staff know and understand it.  

Falling for Phishing

With the advent of AI, phishing scams have become very sophisticated and increasingly more common. Whether it’s a message from the boss asking you to pick up a gift card for a client or Microsoft asking you to click the link to update your Teams, they often look very legitimate. 

Any one of your employees falling for a phishing attack could result in a serious breach of sensitive data.

The solution: Preventative training is one of the most effective ways to prevent phishing attack success, along with email filtering and verification procedures. 

Stay Secure And Compliant With Data Protection People

Whether you’re looking to improve your data protection policies or ensure that you’re compliant with GDPR law, we can help. Our experts are seasoned professionals with a deep understanding of the current regulations and best practices to help keep your data secure. Get in touch with us today. 

Synthetic Data Explained: The Future of Data Protection

Synthetic data is a solution to the tension between the need for real data to train AI, test systems and run analytics, and the need to stay compliant and protect individuals’ data. If you’re worried about using sensitive personal information and GDPR, this could be the answer you’re looking for. 

In this article, we’ll talk about what synthetic data actually is, how it’s becoming an important data protection tool, what the benefits and limitations are and more.  

What Is Synthetic Data?

Synthetic data is artificially generated data that’s designed to mimic real-world data. It has the same statistical patterns, structures and properties of real data, so it can supplement or even replace real datasets. 

In contrast to anonymised or pseudonymised data, synthetic data is made from original data but does not map directly to real individuals. 

Synthetic data is primarily used in sectors where data is in limited supply, difficult to access or time-consuming to obtain, like in finance and healthcare. It is currently most notably used to train AI and machine learning models. 

Types of Synthetic Data

• Fully synthetic data is entirely artificial and doesn’t include any authentic information. It estimates relationships, patterns and attributes to emulate the real data as closely as possible. 
• Partially synthetic data replaces some of the original data, particularly sensitive information, with artificial values, but the rest remains real. This technique helps protect personal data while preserving the complexities of authentic data. 
• Hybrid synthetic data combines real data with fully synthetic information, which allows organisations to scale data sets. 

How is Synthetic Data Generated?

Synthetic data is generated by AI that is trained on real-world datasets. These AI models take the structure, patterns and statistical properties of that real data and create similar data points, but without the personal information that real data would include.

Why Is Synthetic Data Important for Data Protection?

There are a number of applications for synthetic data, but one of the most exciting is to help minimise the exposure of real personal information and help businesses stay compliant with GDPR. 

Elimination of Identifiers

In synthetic data, no actual personal data is present; instead, there are artificial data points that simply mimic the original personal data. It means that there is no link with real individuals, making it inherently private.   

Enables Safe Data Sharing

In some sectors, like finance and healthcare, using real, sensitive data is often restricted due to privacy concerns. Synthetic data provides an alternative. It allows different departments and external partners to collaborate on data without exposure to sensitive information. 

Supports Compliance

When generated properly, fully synthetic data that consists of entirely artificial data points falls outside of the GDPR scope as non-personal data. Using it can therefore help businesses stay compliant. 

However, if you’re the one creating the synthetic data, then the original personal data will still fall under GDPR, as well as any data where there is a residual risk of re-identification. 

Benefits of Synthetic Data for Businesses

Synthetic data has a number of benefits, including:

• Reduced breach risk. If synthetic data is leaked, it will only cause minimal harm compared to the potential of real datasets. 
• Facilitates data minimisation. Synthetic data reduces the need to collect and store real user data, which aligns with the data minimisation principle of GDPR. 
• Reduced operational timeframes. Developers, analysts and researchers no longer have to wait for approval to access sensitive data – because the data is no longer sensitive!
• Lower compliance costs. Synthetic data reduces the need for manual anonymisation and redaction, avoids costs associated with breaches and streamlines data sharing. 

Limitations and Risks of Synthetic Data

While synthetic data has lots of benefits for data sharing, it does come with limitations. These include:

Lack of Realism

Synthetic data is an approximation of real-world data and may lack some of the nuances and complexities of authentic information. 

Bias Amplification

If the source data contains bias, synthetic data will replicate or exaggerate it, which may lead to discrimination or unfair outcomes in downstream applications. 

Risk of Re-Identification 

Synthetic data is not automatically anonymous. High-fidelity data that closely mirrors the original data, or data derived from unique data sets, can still contain patterns that could enable the re-identification of individuals. 

Attackers can exploit this weakness through:

• Linkage attacks. This is where an attacker links two or more records belonging to a data subject in a dataset or across multiple datasets by exploiting extraordinary characteristics, such as a rare disease. 
• Attribute inference attacks. This is where attackers query a trained model and observe its outputs to deduce sensitive or private information.
• Regulatory uncertainty. As synthetic data is relatively new, the legislation around it is still evolving. While fully synthetic, truly anonymous data falls outside of GDPR, the risk of re-identification means that some datasets will still fall under the regulations.

Best Practices for Using Synthetic Data

Determine The Data Quality 

Many factors affect the quality of synthetic data, so it’s very important to ensure the quality and accuracy of the data you’re working with. 

Compare the synthetic data to real-data baselines to see how well it mimics authentic data. There are metrics like Inception Score and FID score that can help you do this. 

Assess Re-identification Risk

Rigorous assessments should be conducted to determine the likelihood of re-identification. This will then guide the governance you need to apply to the data.

Implement Privacy-Enhancing Techniques

There are additional techniques you can use to add another layer of privacy to the data, such as replacing direct identifiers or using Privacy-Enhancing Technology. 

Need Data Protection Support?

Synthetic data is at the forefront of data protection practices. If you’d like to review your protection processes and make sure that you’re fully compliant with GDPR regulations, then get in touch with our team today. We offer data protection audits designed to test your compliance with the law, covering everything from data mapping to DPIA services.