What to Look Out for in 2024

If 2023 was a hectic year for privacy professionals, 2024 could be even busier. Here’s what to expect:

• In the EU, the CJEU will likely decide on an important case involving the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) “Transparency and Consent Framework”, used by thousands of businesses to deliver targeted ads.
• We should also get a decisive ruling on the “pay and consent” issue.
• DPAs across Europe will continue to target AI providers—but the question of whether generative AI is compatible with the GDPR is unlikely to be fully resolved.
• The EU’s AI Act will almost certainly pass, giving businesses two years to get ready for enforcement.
• In the UK, the DPDIB should substantially change the country’s data protection framework (but perhaps not until December).
• And in the US, the FTC will continue its enforcement rampage—watch out data brokers, children’s online services, and anyone selling location data.

But what about the ePrivacy Regulation? This long-awaited update to the prehistoric ePrivacy Directive was supposed to pass in 2018. Don’t hold your breath—the Commission has reportedly dropped the proposal.