📅 Privacy and Data Protection Events in 2026

Looking for a definitive calendar of privacy and data protection events for 2026? Here it is:

At the end of 2024, I made this same post featuring 2025 events and many people liked it, so I conducted the same research but with a focus on 2026. I moved away from generic technology and innovation events and placed the primary focus on those specifically dedicated to privacy and personal data protection.

January

• 22–23 – Next Generation of Antitrust, Data Privacy & Data Protection Scholars Conference (Los Angeles, USA) – website. Biennial academic event highlighting new voices in antitrust and privacy, co-organized by the ABA and USC Gould School of Law.

• 28 – International Data Protection Day (Data Privacy Day) – global celebration (Brussels, Belgium and online). The Council of Europe and the EDPS organize the conference “Reset or Refine?” in Brussels on 01/28 to debate the future of privacy. In Brazil, the ANPD usually promotes educational events on this date.

• 28–29 – Data Privacy and Protection Conference (Fourways, South Africa) – site. South African event held on this important date for global privacy, reinforcing the country’s and the continent’s initiatives in privacy.

February

• 05 – SCL Data Protection Conference 2026 (London, United Kingdom) – site. Annual conference of the Society for Computers and Law, focused on legal and regulatory updates in data protection.

• 10 – Safer Internet Day 2026 (multiple locations; main event in São Paulo, Brazil) – site. Global awareness initiative on security and digital citizenship. In Brazil, SaferNet coordinates educational activities and an event in São Paulo, aligned with the international theme “Exploring respect and relationships online,” celebrated on February 10.

• 27–28 – Privacy Enhancing Technologies Summit Europe (London, United Kingdom) – date to be confirmed. International conference on Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) focused on practical solutions for anonymization, encryption, and data security. Note: the previous edition took place in February 2025 in London, organized by Kisaco Research. Keep an eye out for the 2026 announcement.

March

• 18–20 – Secops Summit 2026 (Porto Alegre, Brazil) – site. One of Brazil’s leading information security and privacy events.

• 18–20 – Privacy and Data Governance (Alberta, Canada) – site. Complementary privacy and data governance event with workshops and activities over three days.

• 30–31 – IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2026 (Washington, D.C., USA) – site. The world’s largest privacy event, bringing together thousands of professionals. Workshops and trainings take place on the preceding days, followed by the main conference on March 30–31. Key themes in 2026 will include AI governance, U.S. privacy laws, and GDPR updates.

April

• 14–16 – Digital Rights & Inclusion Forum (DRIF) 2026 (Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire) – site. Annual forum organized by Paradigm Initiative that debates digital rights, inclusion, and data protection in Africa. The 2026 edition marks the event’s return to the African continent, bringing together global participants for panels on privacy, cybersecurity, access, and online freedom.

• 20–24 – Privacy Symposium 2026 (Venice, Italy) – site. International conference dedicated to data governance, compliance, and technological innovations in privacy. The 2026 edition will take place at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, with workshops and sessions on international data transfers, certifications (such as EuroPrivacy), and eight years of GDPR enforcement.

• 25 – National DPO Meeting 2026 (São Paulo, Brazil) – date to be confirmed. Event aimed at Brazilian Data Protection Officers (DPOs), with support from the ANPD. In 2025 there was an official meeting on 01/28 (Data Protection Day); in 2026, a new edition is expected in the first half of the year to exchange experiences on LGPD implementation in organizations. (Follow ANPD announcements for details.)

May

• 5–7 – Compliance Congress (São Paulo, Brazil) – site. Congress dedicated to compliance, with excellent content for privacy professionals.

• 5–8 – RightsCon 2026 (Lusaka, Zambia) – site. Global digital rights and privacy summit organized by Access Now. In its 14th edition, it will be held in person in Africa and online, addressing topics such as data protection, freedom of expression, and responsible technology. A great opportunity for international networking, including privacy tech tracks.

• 18–20 – 47th IEEE Symposium on Security & Privacy (Oakland) (San Francisco, USA) – site. Leading academic event in information security and privacy, celebrating 47 years. It will present cutting-edge research in cryptography, anonymity, secure machine learning, and more. (Workshops on 05/21.) Despite its technical focus, it’s worth following for advances in privacy engineering.

• 19–22 – Computers, Privacy & Data Protection – CPDP 2026 (Brussels, Belgium) – site. Traditional European multidisciplinary conference on privacy and data protection. New in 2026: it will take place from May 19 to 22 (instead of January), coinciding with reflections on 10 years of GDPR. It will bring together regulators, academics, companies, and civil society to debate topics ranging from GDPR enforcement to AI regulation in Europe.

June

• 06–07 – Global Technology Law Summit 2026 (London, United Kingdom) – date and venue to be confirmed. International legal conference with tracks on data protection, cybersecurity, and digital law. Discussions are expected on regulatory convergence between GDPR, Asian laws, and the future EU AI Regulation. (Watch for announcements from IAPP and European legal associations.)

• 09–11 – IFI TC11 SEC Conference (Perth, Australia) – site. Traditional cybersecurity and privacy conference at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Perth.

• 13–14 – International Association of Privacy Professionals – Asia Privacy Forum 2026 (Singapore) – estimated date. IAPP’s Asian forum aimed at privacy professionals in the APAC region. It will cover implementations of personal data protection laws in Asian countries, international transfers, and global trends from a local perspective. Ideal for those working with compliance in multinationals with an Asian presence.

(June has fewer general events – a useful period to prepare for the second-half marathon!)

July

• 20–25 – Privacy Enhancing Technologies Symposium (PETS 2026) (Calgary, Canada) – site. Academic symposium that annually brings together experts in privacy-preserving technologies (anonymity, cryptography, etc.). In 2026 it will take place in Calgary from July 20 to 25, featuring innovative research presentations and workshops. A reference event for technical professionals and privacy tech enthusiasts.

• 21–24 – EAI SecureComm (Lancaster, UK) – site. Security and privacy event focused on telecommunications.

• 26–28 – XVII International Data Protection Congress (Lisbon, Portugal). Lusophone congress (Portugal/Brazil) debating the practical application of data protection laws. It includes talks by authorities from Portugal’s CNPD and Brazil’s ANPD, as well as case studies on LGPD/GDPR compliance in Lusophone companies. (Subject to confirmation of official CNPD/ANPD agendas.)

August

• 12–13 – CPDP Latam 2026 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) – site. Latin American edition of the CPDP conference, bringing together global experts to discuss data governance in the Latin American context. The 2026 edition is already confirmed for August 12 and 13 in Rio, with satellite events on 08/11 and 08/14. A must-attend to follow regional privacy challenges such as international transfers and responsible innovation.

• 18–29 – Expo Compliance 2026 (São Paulo, Brazil) – site. One of Latin America’s leading compliance congresses, featuring an entire track dedicated to privacy and data protection.

September

• 08 – Digital Privacy Summit 2026 (São Paulo, Brazil) – site. Considered the largest Brazilian event on Digital Law, Technology, and Data Protection. Organized by Opice Blum Academy, it usually takes place in early September (in 2025 it was on 09/08). It brings together jurists, executives, and authorities to discuss LGPD, AI, cybersecurity, and innovation. Likely attendees include ANPD representatives, international experts (e.g., Prof. Daniel Solove in 2025), and parallel technical and legal tracks.

• 18–20 – IAPP AI Governance Global 2026 (Boston, USA) – estimated date. IAPP conference dedicated to Artificial Intelligence governance from a privacy perspective. Following the success of the inaugural 2025 edition, expectations are for a larger event in 2026, covering regulatory frameworks for AI (such as the European AI Act), algorithmic transparency challenges, and ethical data use.

• 29–30 – Bitkom Privacy Conference #PCO2026 (Berlin, Germany) – website. Privacy event in Germany split between in-person and online formats, with day 30 being online.

October

• 03–05 – Global Privacy Forum 2026 (Toronto, Canada) – hypothetical date and venue. International event focused on global privacy policies. Expected debates include interoperability between regulatory frameworks (GDPR, LGPD, CCPA, Indian law, etc.), with participation from authorities (EDPB, FTC, ANPD), civil society (EFF, Access Now), and business leaders.

• 17–19 – Privacy + Security Forum Fall 2026 (Washington, D.C., USA) – site. Conference aimed at professionals working at the intersection of privacy and information security. It offers in-depth sessions (“academy meets practice”) on topics such as incident response under data regulation, privacy by design, governance, and organizational privacy culture. The Fall 2026 edition should bring lessons learned from the year and set the stage for 2027.

• 24 – Fenalaw 2026 – Data Protection Track (São Paulo, Brazil) – site. The largest legal sector fair in Latin America. In 2026, it will once again feature a program dedicated to LGPD and Privacy, with panels on case law, ANPD sanctions, and compliance challenges in law firms and legal departments. Excellent for legal professionals to stay up to date and explore legal tech solutions focused on privacy.

November

• 16–19 – IAPP Europe Data Protection Congress 2026 (Brussels, Belgium) – site. IAPP’s main European event, covering developments in data protection across the continent. The conference will take place in mid-November in Brussels, highlighting: evolution of the ePrivacy Regulation, recent EDPB cases, post-Schrems II international transfers, and new countries’ GDPR adequacy.

• 20–21 – Data Privacy Global Conference 2026 (DPGC) (São Paulo, Brazil) – to be confirmed. International conference organized by Data Privacy Brasil, which in 2025 brought together global experts in São Paulo on December 8–9. For 2026, the event is expected in late November or early December, consolidating itself as a Latin American forum for dialogue among academia, market players, and authorities (ANPD and foreign delegations). Watch for the official announcement on the DPGC website.

• 29 – Big Data & AI Brazil Conference 2026 (São Paulo, Brazil) – site. Although focused on big data and artificial intelligence, this annual conference includes privacy and data protection topics in AI implementations. The 2026 edition will address convergence between LGPD and Brazil’s new AI regulation, presenting responsible big data use cases in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and marketing, with privacy by design.

December

Christmas, New Year, and my birthday on the 19th… Take some time to rest and recharge – you deserve it! 🥂✨ After a year full of events and travel, it’s time to celebrate the achievements of 2026 and get ready for even more privacy and data protection in 2027. See you there!

Other events and initiatives

Some recurring events that usually take place every year but do not yet have published dates for 2026. It’s worth keeping an eye out – as organizations release their agendas, we’ll update here:

• Municipal Data Protection Forum (Brazil) – Annual event focused on LGPD compliance for city halls and municipal bodies. In 2025 there was an edition in the first half of the year, but as of now no 2026 date has been announced (follow the official site municipioslgpd.com.br).

• Convention 108+ Plenary Meetings (Council of Europe, Strasbourg) – International meetings exclusively for data protection authorities (members of Convention 108). They usually take place twice a year (June and November), without prior public disclosure of dates.

• CGI.br Privacy Seminar (Brazil) – Event organized by the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee, addressing privacy and internet topics. The annual edition usually happens in September, but there is still no confirmation of date/location for 2026 (check seminarioprivacidade.cgi.br).

• Privacy Week (Brazil) – A series of decentralized events usually held around September, promoted by various institutions (past editions included actions by FIEMG, Banco do Nordeste, Serpro, etc.). In 2026, workshops, webinars, and educational campaigns are again expected during this special week, although organizers and schedules are not yet defined.

• Global Privacy Assembly 2026 – The annual conference of the world’s data protection authorities. In 2025, the 47th GPA took place from September 15 to 19 in Seoul, South Korea. For 2026, it is already known that Dubai (United Arab Emirates) will host the next edition, but the exact date has not yet been announced. The event usually occurs in the second half of the year and, for the first time, will be in the Middle East – worth following GPA news.

• RIPD Meeting (Ibero-American Data Protection Network) – Meeting of Ibero-American data protection authorities. The last known meeting was in 2024 (Colombia). In 2025 there was no announcement, so it is possible that a XXI Encuentro will take place in 2026, subject to confirmation by network members (follow updates on the official site redipd.org).

Did you remember any others?

If you know of other relevant privacy and data protection events in 2026 that don’t appear here, feel free to mention them in the comments! Let’s keep this calendar alive and collaborative.