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

Ashurst Perkins Coie reports that on 29 June 2026, noyb warned that the US Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. Slaughter[1] found the FTC's independence unconstitutional. According to the firm, the Commission's adequacy decision relies on the independence of the FTC, and noyb has indicated it will file a lawsuit seeking annulment[1].The firm says organisations relying on the DPF for transatlantic transfers should monitor developments closely[1].Ashurst Perkins Coie also reports that on 8 July 2026, alongside its new anonymisation and web scraping guidelines, the EDPB adopted guidelines on[1] processing personal data through blockchain technologies.In the UK, the firm says that on 24 June 2026, the ICO published its 'Edtech examined' report[1], based on audits of 28 providers. According to the update, providers reportedly accepted and implemented 98% of the 596 recommendations made[1].The newsletter also notes that on 3 July 2026, the ICO published advice aimed at small retail businesses[1] on lawfully using CCTV and facial recognition.Ashurst Perkins Coie's spotlight reports that on 14 June 2026, the UAE Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority was formally established[1]. The firm says this "could prove to be a real turning point for the onshore PDPL"[1].