News release
Privacy Commissioner of Canada strengthens international cooperation at the 2026 G7 Data Protection and Privacy Authorities Roundtable
June 26, 2026
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.”
In his capacity as chair of the Global Privacy Assembly, Commissioner Dufresne also participated in other engagements on the margins of the G7 DPA Roundtable to continue to foster international collaboration, promoting Canadian leadership on the global privacy stage.
This included a meeting with Jerry Sheehan, Director of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation, to discuss opportunities to maximize their collective impact, including mutual interest in exploring future collaboration to create further synergies between policy development and regulatory enforcement, and champion trustworthy data flows globally. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to fostering a digital ecosystem that promotes innovation while ensuring high levels of personal data protection.
Commissioner Dufresne participated in a high-level roundtable on regulatory cooperation for safer childhoods online, which was organized by the OECD in partnership with the CNIL. Data protection and online safety regulators discussed effective strategies and collaborative approaches to meet the needs and best interests of children online.
The Commissioner also took part in a Privacy Research Day hosted by the CNIL, where he shared information about his Office’s Contributions Program, a pioneering research funding initiative that provides up to $500,000 a year for research and public education initiatives on privacy issues related to Canada’s federal private-sector privacy law.
Quote
“As technology accelerates and data flows transcend borders, global leadership is more important than ever to prioritize privacy and protect children online. Strategic cooperation with international partners helps to advance safe and responsible innovation, which supports strong economies and a high level of data protection in global frameworks, including through data free flow with trust, to protect Canadians’ privacy in a global economy so that they can confidently reap the benefits of a digital society.”
Philippe Dufresne
Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Related links
- Communiqué: G7 Data Protection and Privacy Authorities Roundtable
- Joint paper: Connected home devices and children’s privacy
- Statement: Privacy-preserving age assurance
Media contact
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
communications@priv.gc.ca
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