Five years of GDPR: Experts forecast changes to come for landmark privacy law

The fifth anniversary of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into force has highlighted the many successes of the legislation—such as companies’ willingness to comply—but also exposed areas where the law is still untested and unclear.

Currently, there is no political appetite to tinker with the GDPR—at least not until a new European Commission is appointed in 2025. But privacy experts believe if the regulation is to stay relevant for another five years, it will need to provide clarity over a range of issues.

Clare Walsh, director of education at the Institute of Analytics, a professional body for data experts, said harmonized approaches to enforcement among EU data protection authorities is a “must.”