Data Bytes 67: Your EMEA Data Privacy Update for July 2026

Ashurst Perkins Coie reports that on 14 June 2026, the UAE Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority was formally established.[1] The firm says this could be "a real turning point for the onshore PDPL, which has so far lacked an active regulator"[1].According to the firm, privacy NGO noyb warned on 29 June that the US Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. Slaughter undermines the legal foundation of the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.[1] The update says noyb has indicated it will file a lawsuit seeking annulment of the DPF by the CJEU.[1]The firm reports that on 8 July 2026, the EDPB adopted guidelines on processing personal data through blockchain technologies[1], alongside new guidelines on anonymisation and web scraping.Ashurst Perkins Coie says the UK ICO's 'Edtech examined' report, published on 24 June, identified compliance gaps including providers incorrectly identifying their controller/processor status[1] and gaps in data protection impact assessments. According to the update, providers reportedly accepted and implemented 98% of the 596 recommendations made.[1]The firm also reports that on 3 July 2026, the ICO published advice for small retailers on lawfully using personal information, including CCTV and facial recognition[1], to help tackle theft.Gibson Dunn reports that the EDPB's consultation on a new data breach notification template runs until 5 August 2026[2].