Privacy and data rules
122 of 521 companies dropped a paragraph in Risk Factors that uses one of these words:
privacy, GDPR, personal data, personal information.
The paragraph was in the earlier 10-K and nothing like it is in the latest.
It counts text; it does not say how serious a risk is. Words in capitals only (such as AI) must be in capitals.
By sector
Sector is the SEC's industry description of the company. Each count opens that sector's quotes below.
| Sector | Companies | Compared |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Peripheral Equipment, NEC | 2 | 2 |
| Men's & Boys' Furnishgs, Work Clothg, & Allied Garments | 2 | 2 |
| Rubber & Plastics Footwear | 2 | 2 |
| Transportation Services | 2 | 2 |
| Air Courier Services | 1 | 1 |
| Aircraft | 1 | 1 |
| Communications Equipment, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Electrical Industrial Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Electronic Connectors | 1 | 1 |
| Farm Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 1 |
| Leather & Leather Products | 1 | 1 |
| Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 1 |
| Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products | 1 | 1 |
| Newspapers: Publishing or Publishing & Printing | 1 | 1 |
| Paper Mills | 1 | 1 |
| Real Estate | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Eating & Drinking Places | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Radio, Tv & Consumer Electronics Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Advertising Agencies | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Television Broadcasting Stations | 1 | 1 |
| Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies | 1 | 1 |
| Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus | 7 | 10 |
| Computer Communications Equipment | 2 | 3 |
| Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies | 2 | 3 |
| Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. | 3 | 5 |
| Investment Advice | 4 | 8 |
| Retail-Eating Places | 2 | 4 |
| Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys | 2 | 4 |
| Accident & Health Insurance | 1 | 2 |
| Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts | 1 | 2 |
| Industrial Organic Chemicals | 1 | 2 |
| Oil & Gas Field Services, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Printed Circuit Boards | 1 | 2 |
| Pumps & Pumping Equipment | 1 | 2 |
| Refuse Systems | 1 | 2 |
| Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses | 1 | 2 |
| Retail-Family Clothing Stores | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Computer Programming Services | 1 | 2 |
| Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Medical Laboratories | 1 | 2 |
| Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings | 1 | 2 |
| Ship & Boat Building & Repairing | 1 | 2 |
| Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products | 1 | 2 |
| Beverages | 2 | 5 |
| Biological Products, (No Diagnostic Substances) | 2 | 5 |
| Computer Storage Devices | 2 | 5 |
| Hospital & Medical Service Plans | 2 | 5 |
| Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies | 2 | 5 |
| Finance Services | 11 | 28 |
| National Commercial Banks | 4 | 11 |
| Semiconductors & Related Devices | 5 | 15 |
| Computer & office Equipment | 1 | 3 |
| Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics | 1 | 3 |
| Services-Prepackaged Software | 5 | 19 |
| Services-Business Services, NEC | 4 | 16 |
| Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) | 1 | 4 |
| Motor Vehicles & Passenger Car Bodies | 1 | 4 |
| Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services | 1 | 4 |
| Hotels & Motels | 1 | 5 |
| Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 1 | 5 |
| Pharmaceutical Preparations | 2 | 11 |
| Electric & Other Services Combined | 2 | 12 |
| Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance | 2 | 12 |
| Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service | 1 | 6 |
| Petroleum Refining | 1 | 6 |
| State Commercial Banks | 1 | 6 |
| Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas | 1 | 7 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts | 2 | 27 |
301 paragraphs · Computer Peripheral Equipment, NEC show all sectors
Additionally, we may be subject to other legal regimes throughout the world governing data handling, protection and privacy. For example, in June 2018, California passed the CCPA, which provides new data privacy rights for consumers and
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 21, 2025 ↗
In addition, the U.K. government enacted the U.K. Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 on June 19, 2025, which includes targeted amendments to the U.K.’s data protection regime that cause it to expressly deviate from the GDPR. This development creates new compliance challenges and has created uncertainty with respect to the European Commission’s adequacy determination regarding the U.K.’s data protection regime, which has been extended until December 2025 and must be renewed to permit ongoing relatively unrestricted data flows from the EEA to the UK.
Read in the 10-K filed Aug 29, 2025 ↗