“Data privacy in 2026 has reached a breaking point: we can no longer rely on ‘knowing’ the user to protect the business. As generative AI makes it possible to flawlessly spoof identities and biometrics, the act of logging in has become the weakest link in the security chain. To survive this era of deception, enterprises must shift their focus from protecting the login to isolating the data.
True privacy now depends on a ‘Privacy by Isolation’ model. This requires moving beyond broad network access toward a Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) architecture where sensitive resources are hidden—or ‘dark’—to the network by default. By integrating Continuous Adaptive Risk and Trust Assessment (CARTA) with hardened, virtualised workspaces, organisations can ensure that sensitive data never actually resides on the user’s physical device. Even if a credential is hijacked or a deepfake bypasses initial entry, the data remains isolated in a secure, controlled environment. The mandate for technology leaders is to de-couple security from the underlying infrastructure, ensuring that privacy is an architectural default rather than a manual effort.”
