Why new laws matter and how to prepare your security program.

Data privacy and cybersecurity regulations are evolving fast. Businesses that fail to adapt risk fines, reputational damage, and operational disruption. This blog explains upcoming laws in Canada, the EU, and globally and how they impact compliance strategies.

Key Takeaways

• Canada’s Bill C-26 introduces critical infrastructure cyber standards.
• EU’s NIS2 Directive expands security obligations and penalties.
• Privacy laws like CPPA and evolving GDPR demand stronger data governance.
• Organizations need continuous compliance, not one-time audits.

Canada: Bill C-26 and CPPA

Bill C-26 strengthens cybersecurity obligations for critical infrastructure operators telecom, energy, finance. It emphasizes incident reporting and empowers regulators to enforce robust cybersecurity programs.

The proposed CPPA updates Canada’s privacy regime with stricter consent requirements, transparency duties, and stronger enforcement.

What to do now:

• Maintain an incident response plan and test it regularly.
• Implement continuous monitoring for events and anomalies.
• Document privacy controls and link them to your ISMS.

EU: NIS2 Directive

The NIS2 Directive expands cybersecurity obligations beyond NIS1. It mandates risk management measures, supply chain security, and timely incident reporting for essential and important entities.

Action steps:

• Map NIS2 requirements to ISO 27001 controls.
• Strengthen vendor risk management.
• Ensure audit-ready evidence for regulators.

Global Privacy Updates

GDPR continues to evolve with stricter enforcement. Canada’s CPPA emphasizes consent and accountability. Multinational businesses need harmonized policies across jurisdictions.

Practical Steps to Prepare

• Review your ISMS against new regulatory requirements.
• Update policies for incident reporting and vendor security.
• Run privacy impact assessments for new projects.
• Train staff on data handling and breach response.
• Use policy automation to keep documentation current.