FEB 2024

In an age where children are increasingly engaging online, concerns over their privacy have reached a crescendo. Shrills for reform have echoed across the United States, urging policymakers to take decisive action. However, with Congress divided and preoccupied with other matters, the onus has fallen on regulatory bodies to address the issue.

While privacy experts predict movement in other areas of government, the first chess piece has been moved once again by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). After almost four years of review and 175,000 public comments later, the FTC unveiled its plan to update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule) on December 20, 2023, after the Commission voted 3-0. The last COPPA revision was made in 2013.



The FTC prioritized the upcoming changes/modernization to align the 25-year-old rule to an era in which online tools are integral to daily life — and where companies are deploying increasingly sophisticated digital tools to surveil children.

Global legislative developments in the privacy sphere were abundant in 2023. Privacy professionals from around the world predict that legislation pertaining to data privacy and cyber security will continue to flourish in 2024, especially as governments consider how to best navigate burgeoning AI technology. This blog post explores some of those predicted legislative developments and trends.

The EU’s cookie reduction pledge, advocating for user control and transparency, represents a significant move towards enhanced digital privacy. While offering more control over cookies, the emergence of alternative tracking methods like device fingerprinting and contextual targeting highlights new complexity, reminding companies that users are no longer data-naïve.