Data Privacy Week is observed every January. It should be seen as a subject of growing significance in 2026. Data privacy is now at the core of business strategy, national security, and digital trust, rather than on the periphery of IT and legal departments. Privacy is now more than just a checkbox; it is a fundamental component of leadership responsibility and cybersecurity resilience.
Data has emerged as both an organization’s greatest asset and its biggest liability as digital transformation picks up speed. The Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), and new quantum technologies are increasing connectivity and data collection on a never-before-seen scale. When these platforms lack robust privacy safeguards, innovation itself becomes vulnerable.
Privacy Risk Is Being Rewritten by Emerging Technologies
Threat actors are using artificial intelligence to scale reconnaissance, construct convincing phishing operations, and evade detection. AI systems rely on enormous datasets, which frequently contain private or sensitive data. IoT devices create millions of new endpoints that are constantly connected. Data velocity and device density are significantly increased with 5G.
Rapid advancements in AI deepfake generation and other tools available to fraudsters are already challenging the integrity of a variety of remote identity checks, including biometric “liveness” tests, and the issue is expected to worsen, according to a report tracking cybercrime trends and counterstrategies published by the World Economic Forum’s Cybercrime Atlas project. Create a map of cybercrime and act against it. The Cybercrime Atlas – Map and disrupt cybercrime. Hosted by the World Economic Forum
The encryption models used to protect sensitive data today could be disrupted by quantum computing.
Modern cybersecurity systems must safeguard data at every stage of their lifespan, from creation to destruction, as privacy and risk management are inextricably linked. Refer to: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckbrooks/2025/02/17/5-pillars-for-data-cybersecurity-in-the-evolving-digital-landscape/
For a long time, quantum computing was viewed as a far-off milestone at the conclusion of lengthy road maps. The tale is no longer accurate. Strategically and scientifically, the underlying technologies are developing in ways that are disruptive. Rather than being isolated laboratory aberrations, today’s quantum advances are part of a broader seismic change in computation, security, and geopolitical power.
As Q Day, the moment when quantum computers essentially outperform conventional computing in useful, real-world tasks—approaches, we must get ready now rather than later. It is a fundamental misconception to refer to Q Day as a “event” that signifies the moment when quantum computers will defeat encryption or outperform classical computers in every aspect. Q Day can best be characterized as a strategic turning moment where a number of capabilities transcend operational significance.
A Fundamental Cyber Risk Concern Is Privacy
Innovation cannot be sustained without integrated privacy protections. Organizations unintentionally create systemic weaknesses that adversaries, ranging from nation-states to hackers, are keen to exploit when privacy is neglected. One of the most common misunderstandings I come across is that privacy is essentially a legal or regulatory issue. In actuality, cyber risk failures are privacy failures.
In actuality, the impact of cyber events is greatly increased by bad data governance, which includes excessive data collecting, inadequate access controls, and indefinite retention. Data protection, encryption, access control, and incident response planning must all be specifically included in effective risk plans.
Robust privacy policies lessen the probability of a breach as well as the harm that can result from one. From a business standpoint, privacy is a resilience and risk-reduction strategy rather than a cost center. With the digital economy, trust is the currency.
Digital trust and privacy are inextricably linked in an increasingly connected age. Consumers, citizens, and partners are increasingly evaluating companies based on how ethically they gather, utilize, and safeguard data.
Human factors, technology, and trust are the cornerstones of cyber resilience. Technology itself cannot build trust; transparency, leadership, and culture are equally important. Refer to: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckbrooks/2025/11/23/trust-technology-human-factors-the-foundation-of-cyber-resilience/
Years of brand equity can be destroyed by a single privacy breach. Regulators may be deterred by compliance, but ethical data stewardship and accountability build trust. Cyber criminals take advantage of user inattention and insufficient authentication on these websites. Identity theft is common in the complicated environment generated by the combination of e-commerce, mobile payments, and remote work.
According to a 2025 survey, 73% of American people have been the victim of at least one internet fraud or attack, with 32% reporting that it occurred within the previous year. Of those polled, 48% reported credit or debit card fraud; 36% reported purchasing something online that was either fake or never came; 29% reported having a personal online account stolen; and 24% reported falling for phishing (scam emails, messages, or calls). Pew Research Center+1
Major credit card firms are tackling fraud and breach issues, which is good news. One excellent example of how cybersecurity can transition from being reactive to proactive is Mastercard’s Cyber Secure, RiskRecon, and Decision Intelligence technologies. In addition to identifying vulnerabilities, these platforms enable organizations to understand, prioritize, and mitigate risk in real time. Cyber Front, Cyber Insights, Threat Protection, Onboard Risk Check, Systemic Risk Assessment, NuDetect, and Cyber Quant security assessments—all of which are included in Mastercard’s cybersecurity portfolio—help to support them. Mastercard Cybersecurity Solutions Portfolio – Risk & Resilience | Knowledge & Support
Leadership Responsibilities Include Privacy
Privacy is a leadership issue, not merely a technological one. Executives and boards need to realize that choices made about the gathering, storing, and safeguarding of data have a direct impact on the risk and reputation of the company.
We can expect rapid technical improvement in the near future. The process can be accelerated by combining digital and physical methods and by sharing information more rapidly. Numerous industries, including health and medical care, transportation, energy, construction, banking, commerce, and security, will be impacted by the disruptive technology revolution.
AI, quantum computing, and 5G are examples of innovative technologies that change how things operate and call for the creation of new security protocols and regulations to protect privacy.
In “A Cybersecurity Primer for Businesses in 2025,” I suggested that executives view safeguarding confidential data as a fundamental business risk rather than a duty assigned to IT. In 2026, these values and methods are equally relevant. Refer to: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckbrooks/2025/07/13/a-cybersecurity-primer-for-businesses-in-2025/
Institutions that prioritize privacy are better equipped to innovate responsibly and endure unavoidable cyber setbacks. One of the key strategic concerns of the digital era is data privacy. Organizations must change the way they protect data as new technologies continue to change how information is created and used.
Innovation is not hampered by privacy; rather, it is the basis for trusted innovation.
Future-ready leaders will include privacy into organizational culture, risk management frameworks, and cybersecurity strategies. Those that don’t will find it extremely hard to regain trust once it has been gone.
