Privacy , Government Regulations US privacy fines skyrocket past $3.4B, Gartner reports April 30, 2026 Share By SC Staff (Adobe Stock) Privacy-related regulatory penalties imposed by U.S. states on companies reached $3.45 billion last year, which is higher than the combined fines between 2020 and 2024, reports CyberScoop . Such a surge has been attributed to more stringent privacy laws, bolstered interstate law enforcement, and an increased focus on the ramifications of AI and automation on privacy, according to a Gartner report. Gartner analyst Nader Heinen said that regulators initially prioritized guidance over penalties. In 2025, enforcement became much stricter across many industries, and some companies were unprepared because they assumed early leniency would continue during the early rollout phase. "Unfortunately what happens when so much time passes between the legislation and starting enforcement regularly, is a lot of organizations let their privacy program atrophy," Heinen said. California Privacy Protection Agency Executive Director Tom Kemp warned that preemption would weaken existing protections, eliminate state-level laws, and represent a step backward amid growing AI-related concerns. SC Staff Related Security Operations Supreme Court hears arguments on controversial geofence warrants SC Staff April 29, 2026 Geofence warrants allow law enforcement to compel tech companies like Google to provide location data for all users within a specified area and time frame. Privacy New legislation renewing surveillance program draws fire across party lines SC Staff April 28, 2026 Both sides of the political aisle have slammed the latest legislation implementing a three-year reauthorization for Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was introduced by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in the wake of the House's approval of a 10-day extension following failed attempts to achieve an 18-month renewal, CyberScoop reports. Privacy Firefox and Tor Browser vulnerability allowed hidden identifiers SC Staff April 27, 2026 The vulnerability stemmed from the behavior of IndexedDB, a browser database used for storing large amounts of data. Get daily email updates SC Media's daily must-read of the most current and pressing daily news Business Email By clicking the Subscribe button below, you agree to SC Media Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . Subscribe Related Terms Anonymization Authenticity Basic Authentication Biometrics Business Impact Analysis (BIA) Certificate-Based Authentication Chain of Custody Data Custodian Due Diligence Identity Theft You can skip this ad in 5 seconds