Data Protection Day: Brussels debates whether to reset or refine

Data protection and privacy has been thrust into the spotlight as governments around the world move to regulate the use of technologies such as social media against increasing concern for their welfare.

As the world marks Data Protection Day today (28th January), the Council of Europe and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) have co-organised a one-day event in Brussels focused on new frontiers in data protection.

Data Protection Day 2026

This year’s Data Protection Day theme is ‘Reset or refine?’ and the conference will explore the challenges and opportunities that arise when innovation and emerging technologies intersect with privacy risks and the regulatory framework.

“As data protection frameworks around the world evolve to meet modern challenges, Europe faces a pivotal moment”, the EDPS wrote in a statement about Data Protection Day this year.

“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 a number of pressing questions about the current state of data privacy and protection for consumers against a rapidly evolving technology landscape.

Questions such as, 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?

When is data personal

An early session this morning, titled When is Data Personal, was hosted by Thomas Zerdick Acting Secretary General EDPS.

On the panel Maarten Daman, Data Protection Officer at the European Central Bank spoke about the role of data controllers in managing data subject rights, with the central issue being, “what is the risk to the data subject?”

The panel was attended by a number of adtech companies, crypto industry leaders and other technology players.