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Beau Braswell

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Beau has advised clients on data privacy and cybersecurity matters for more than eight years. He began his legal career in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he obtained a TS/SCI clearance and advised on data protection in the law enforcement and intelligence contexts.

Under newly implemented regulations of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), California now requires a formal risk assessment “before initiating any processing activity” of certain (sensitive) sorts. The regulation explicitly contemplates that businesses will complete risk assessments now, in 2026.

Eventually, such risk assessments – including those completed this year – must be signed by an executive and submitted to the California regulator under penalty of perjury.Continue Reading New CCPA Risk Assessment Requirements Now In Effect

Enforcement activity surged in 2025, with landmark judgments and settlements—some reaching eight and nine figures—targeting issues such as ad tracking, analytics, wiretapping, text messaging, data subject rights, and sensitive data collection. This aggressive trend shows no signs of slowing as we move into 2026.

Taft continues to help its clients find the correct answers in their context for addressing these risks. Building on our year-end post, here are some issues you may want to consider as you take on the new year.Continue Reading Your 2026 Privacy, Security, and Artificial Intelligence Checklist