Data Protection Day 2026: Reset or refine?
Data Protection Day (28 January) celebrates the signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding treaty protecting privacy in the digital age. To mark the occasion, the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) are co-organising a one-day event focused on new frontiers in data protection. The conference will explore the challenges and opportunities that arise when innovation and emerging technologies intersect with privacy risks and the regulatory framework.
When: 28 January 2026
Where: European Commission’s Charlemagne building, Rue de la Loi 170, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
How: In person and remotely: www.data-protection-day.eu
As data protection frameworks around the world evolve to meet modern challenges, Europe faces a pivotal moment. The modernisation of Convention 108 through Convention 108+ reaffirmed fundamental rights in the digital age and set the global standard for privacy. Now, almost a decade after the entry into application of the GDPR, discussions on its future - variously framed as reform, simplification, clarification, or modernisation - invite renewed reflection on how Europe can maintain its leadership in data protection in a rapidly changing technological landscape while also ensuring agility, coherence and trust.
This year’s conference, co-organised by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and the Council of Europe (CoE), will bring together policymakers, regulators, academics and practitioners to examine the lessons from Convention 108+ and EU data protection law and explore how they can inform the next generation of legislation. Building on the resilience of the European data protection framework, the conference will ask: How can we modernise without compromising core principles? How can ‘regulatory simplification’ coexist with strong safeguards for individuals? And how can Europe’s normative model continue to inspire a human-centric digital future?
More information here: www.data-protection-day.eu