Data Privacy Week 2026: Why We Need More Cyber Professionals Protecting Our Personal Data
With Data Privacy Week 2026 upon us, this year's theme, “Take control of your data” highlights an urgent societal problem. Personal information now flows constantly through apps, devices, and organisations, often unnoticed, while cyber risks and skills shortages continue to grow. How do we close the cyber skills gap to ensure we treat global data privacy a priority?
This week is Data Privacy Week (26-30 January 2026), with Data Privacy Day landing on Wednesday. The theme this year is simple but important to pretty much everyone around the world: Take control of your data.
Your personal data is being collected constantly, often quietly, and usually by systems you don’t think about day to day. However, there is still a worrying gap in awareness and knowledge around this topic, as well as a gap in certified cyber professionals that can help maintain data security en masse.
So why is personal data protection not only more important than ever but harder than ever to achieve? Furthermore, what does this say about the need for more comprehensive cyber security training and a stronger qualified cyber workforce in the UK and globally?
Written by
Adam is a Senior Career Consultant at Learning People, specialising in helping people move into IT, Project Management, Cyber Security, Software Development, and Cloud Computing roles through personalised 1:1 consultation. He understands well which skills and certifications employers value most in today’s fast-evolving tech landscape.
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Jump to:
- “Take Control of Your Data”: What the 2026 theme really means
- Why data privacy feels harder (and riskier) in 2026 than before
- Recent ANZ data breaches that put personal information at risk
- The global cyber skills gap: Why we need more certified cyber security professionals
- Final thoughts: Taking Control of data and your career
“Take Control of Your Data”: What the 2026 theme really means
“Take control of your data” isn’t about deleting every app, ditching your smartphone, or going off-grid. It’s about understanding what information you’re giving away, why it’s being collected, and where you still have choices.
That matters because the amount of personal data we generate now is staggering.
Your phone tracks location and usage. Apps log behavior. Wearable tech records health data. Cars collect driving patterns. Online accounts build detailed profiles over time, often without much input from you.
A common mistake is thinking data privacy is all or nothing, but you don’t need to lock everything down perfectly to be safer. Simple, repeatable actions like the following make a difference, such as checking privacy settings, questioning permissions, using strong authentication, and knowing who you’re sharing data with and why.
If managing your own data already feels overwhelming, scale that up to millions of users and complex systems. That’s the reality organisations are dealing with every day, and it explains why protecting data has become such a serious responsibility on this scale.
Why data privacy feels harder (and riskier) in 2026 than before
Data privacy feels more difficult in 2026 because the volume and reach of data collection keep growing.
We use more digital services, rely on more connected devices, and leave data trails that last far longer than most people expect. Our personal information is rarely used once and forgotten. It’s reused, shared, sold, and analysed repeatedly, often well beyond its original purpose.
On its own, a single data point might seem harmless. But when combined, those small details become powerful. Location data suggests your routines, purchase history hints at your income or lifestyle, and app usage can reveal your health or personal pressures.
When breaches happen, the damage isn’t just technical. Trust takes a hit, and that’s hard to rebuild.
This is exactly why Data Privacy Week focuses on empowerment. Understanding the risks gives you leverage. It helps individuals make better choices and pushes organisations to treat personal data with the care it deserves.
Recent ANZ data breaches that put personal information at risk
There have been a couple of recent incidents in Australia and New Zealand that demonstrate why personal data can no longer be taken for granted.
- Quantas Airways personal data exposed: A cyberattack leaked personal information of around 5.7million customers, including phone numbers, birth dates, and home addresses. One of Australia’s most significant breaches this year.
- iiNet customer data breach: An unauthorised access event exposed contact details, usernames, street addresses, and phone numbers for around 280,000 customers of the ISP.
You can also visit our regularly updated article on the top cyber attacks of 2025 and 2026.
The global cyber skills gap: Why we need more certified cyber security professionals
Those recent breaches help explain why data protection has moved from an IT concern to a national priority. Protecting personal data now sits at the centre of business operations, regulation, and public trust.
So, who do companies need in their workforce for this? Cyber Security Analysts and SOC Analysts are still vital, but so are governance, risk, and compliance professionals, along with roles focused on data protection and regulatory responsibility.
This is no longer niche cyber work happening in the background. It is embedded across organisations.
As a cyber and IT careers advisor, I know that people worry cyber is too technical for them to pursue as a career choice. Most of those I advise come from non-tech backgrounds. My response: at its core, this work is about judgement, problem solving, and responsibility.
A growing need for data protection means huge employment opportunity for qualified cyber professionals...
Data privacy is not a passing trend. Regulation, technology, and public expectations all point one way. Skills in protecting personal data are not short term insurance. They are long term career foundations.
This is why we continue to build out and improve on our comprehensive selection of world-class cyber training pathways in partnership with CompTIA, a leading non-profit trade group that provides globally recognised, vendor-neutral IT and cyber certifications.
Final thoughts: Taking control of data and your career
Data Privacy Week is a reminder that taking control of your data starts with awareness. However, as someone in the tech careers space, I also see it as a reminder that we need to improve our global knowledge defences, workforce, when it comes to cyber security. This is why I consider becoming a qualified cyber professional on par with offering a critical national (or global) service.
If cyber security or data protection feels like a serious option, you can book a free career consultation with one of our experts to help you explore it properly. Simply hit the button below to leave your details and a Consultant will be in touch within one working day.
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