The first 25 years of the 21st century: A privacy odyssey; and what is next?

Abstract

The first quarter of the 21st century has witnessed a transformative shift in privacy, data protection and information governance. The global privacy landscape has been irrevocably transformed by the enactment of the landmark European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the rapid evolution of generative and autonomous artificial intelligence (AI) and the industrial-scale proliferation of personal data breaches and deepfakes. This editorial reflects on key privacy and data protection milestones of the past 25 years, evaluates current trends, and offers predictions for what’s coming next.