2020 Global Privacy Benchmarks Report

TrustArc’s 1st Annual Global Privacy Benchmarks Report captures a pivotal moment in the evolution of global privacy, combining perspectives from over 1,500 privacy professionals across industries and regions, including the U.S., EU, UK, and beyond.

Amid the unprecedented disruptions caused by COVID-19, privacy leaders faced growing pressure to adapt to new regulations like the CCPA while maintaining business continuity and trust. This report provides a first-of-its-kind benchmarking study that reveals how companies responded, with a mix of optimism and concern, toward data protection, compliance readiness, and emerging technologies.

Key themes include the surge in remote work, increased third-party and data-sharing risks, uneven CCPA preparedness, and the critical role of purpose-built privacy management software. Notably, companies using such tools demonstrated significantly higher privacy confidence.

The report also introduces TrustArc’s Privacy Confidence Indices, a global benchmark framework assessing leadership, operations, and stakeholder trust in privacy efforts.

Key takeaways:

• 83% of organizations increased privacy efforts in response to new regulations, training, and policy updates.
• Only one-third of companies used automated privacy or GRC software, but those who did reported stronger privacy outcomes.
• COVID-19 led to increased privacy risks, with 62% of organizations shifting to remote work and many adjusting privacy strategies in response.
• CCPA awareness was surprisingly low. Only 45% of respondents claimed little to no knowledge months before enforcement.
• Forward-thinking firms viewed privacy as a competitive differentiator, not just a compliance task.