There is a moment in almost every client conversation I have where the subject of data privacy comes up — and the reaction is almost always the same. A slight pause. A change in posture. And then, almost inevitably, the same question: "We're compliant, right?" The honest answer, more often than not, is: "Let's take a closer look." We are living through the most significant regulatory transformation the digital world has ever seen. GDPR was the opening act. CCPA followed. And now, in 2026, the EU AI Act has moved from transition phase into full enforcement, state-level privacy laws have multiplied across the United States, and regulators everywhere have made one thing abundantly clear — the era of "collect everything and sort it out later" is over. This is not a legal article.…