Industry Brief · 2026 TrustArc Global Privacy Benchmarks

Manufacturing Built the Product. Now It Has to Govern the Data It Keeps Sending.

What the 2026 Benchmarks Reveal About Manufacturing’s Connected Product Privacy Gap

Manufacturing enters 2026 with a privacy foundation that the connected product era is already stress-testing. Drawing on 1,844 responses across 17 industries, including 233 from manufacturing, the study’s third-largest sector sample, the 2026 TrustArc Global Privacy Benchmarks reveal a sector that has established the right values but has not yet built the integrated operating model the EU Cyber Resilience Act and EU Data Act now demand.

Manufacturing scores 47% on the Global Privacy Index, ranking 10th of 17 industries, six points below the 53% all-respondent benchmark. The gap is not indifference: 62% of manufacturers agree their organization should be doing much more on privacy. It is an operational problem, concentrated in the build layer where tooling integration, supply chain controls, and transferable external assurance remain below the field.

Key takeaways include:

Manufacturing scores 47% on the Global Privacy Index, 10th of 17 industries and six points below the 53% all-respondent benchmark. Privacy is valued: 70% say it is a core part of business strategy. But only 29% report fully integrated privacy tooling, against 39% globally, and the typical manufacturer has implemented 4.5 of 11 tracked initiatives versus 4.9 across the field.
The sector’s largest single gap is external assurance. Third-party privacy certifications are fully implemented by just 38% of manufacturers, nine points below the 47% global benchmark and the widest initiative shortfall in the study. Manufacturing values the ISO frameworks. It has not converted that into transferable certification at the same rate.
The harm profile is distinctive and growing. Nineteen percent of manufacturers report losing trade partners due to privacy concerns, 3rd among all industries and up from 14% in 2025, while consequences from AI adoption climbed from 22% to 29%. Data breaches barely moved. The risk manufacturing faces is commercial and relational, not primarily breach-led.

“Manufacturing built the product. The next phase is the data it keeps sending. That is where privacy competence will be won.”

— 2026 TrustArc Global Privacy Benchmarks