News release: Privacy Commissioner of Canada strengthens international cooperation at the 2026 G7 Data Protection and Privacy Authorities Roundtable

Privacy Commissioner of Canada strengthens international cooperation at the 2026 G7 Data Protection and Privacy Authorities Roundtable

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne and his G7 Data Protection and Privacy Authorities (DPA) Roundtable counterparts met this week for discussions focused on enhancing international cooperation to support responsible innovation and protect individuals in the digital environment.

The protection of children’s privacy online was a prominent theme as the G7 DPAs gathered for their sixth annual meeting, hosted by France’s Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL).

The DPAs discussed key privacy issues with implications for individuals all over the world, including age assurance, smart glasses, agentic artificial intelligence, connected home devices, and data free flow with trust.

In a joint communiqué, the G7 data protection and privacy authorities expressed a commitment to ongoing cooperation to support a safer and trusted digital environment and promote responsible innovation.

They also issued a joint statement for privacy-preserving age assurance. The statement calls for the development of age-assurance technologies that are interoperable, trustworthy and privacy-preserving. It highlights the importance of protection of individuals’ rights and freedoms, consideration of foundational privacy principles such as purpose limitation, as well as privacy by design.

Commissioner Dufresne welcomed a recent statement from G7 Leaders expressing a commitment to provide a safe digital space for children. The statement highlighted that: “Digital service providers have the important role and opportunity to provide digital platforms which are safe-by-design, secure, privacy-preserving, age-appropriate and protective of children and youth, including by default settings.”