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

Ashurst Perkins Coie says this edition is the first to include its new UAE privacy team, who contributed this month's spotlight focusing on the changing regulatory landscape in the UAE[1].The firm reports that the new Authority consolidates three entities[1], one of them the UAE Data Office, which was nominally in charge of enforcing the onshore data protection law (PDPL).According to the firm, the UAE Data Office established under the PDPL never became fully operational[1], so the UAE has had no active onshore data protection regulator. The authors call the change "a big step forward for the UAE privacy landscape, but what it means in practice remains to be seen"[1].The newsletter reports that on 15 June 2026, the UK government announced that social media platforms will be banned from offering services to under-16s[1]. The firm notes that the government does not plan to include messaging services such as WhatsApp and Signal in the ban[1].Ashurst Perkins Coie writes that on 15 July, the government said protections for 16- and 17-year-olds would include overnight curfews from midnight to 6am on social media apps[1].The firm also reports that under-18s are also expected to be barred from using AI "romantic companion" services[1].According to the newsletter, the government plans to bring regulations to Parliament before the end of 2026, with protections expected to come into force in spring 2027[1].