Privacy and data rules
173 of 521 companies added a paragraph in Risk Factors that uses one of these words:
privacy, GDPR, personal data, personal information.
The paragraph is in the latest 10-K and nothing like it was in the one before.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies | 5 | 5 |
| Computer Peripheral Equipment, NEC | 2 | 2 |
| Instruments For Meas & Testing of Electricity & Elec Signals | 2 | 2 |
| Men's & Boys' Furnishgs, Work Clothg, & Allied Garments | 2 | 2 |
| Rubber & Plastics Footwear | 2 | 2 |
| Air Courier Services | 1 | 1 |
| Apparel & Other Finishd Prods of Fabrics & Similar Matl | 1 | 1 |
| Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters | 1 | 1 |
| Electronic Components & Accessories | 1 | 1 |
| Electronic Connectors | 1 | 1 |
| Engines & Turbines | 1 | 1 |
| Gas & Other Services Combined | 1 | 1 |
| General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Grain Mill Products | 1 | 1 |
| Leather & Leather Products | 1 | 1 |
| Meat Packing Plants | 1 | 1 |
| Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 1 |
| Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products | 1 | 1 |
| Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 1 |
| Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods | 1 | 1 |
| Paper Mills | 1 | 1 |
| Radiotelephone Communications | 1 | 1 |
| Real Estate | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Drug Stores and Proprietary Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Eating & Drinking Places | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Radio, Tv & Consumer Electronics Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Retail Stores, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Rolling Drawing & Extruding of Nonferrous Metals | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Advertising Agencies | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Equipment Rental & Leasing, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Video Tape Rental | 1 | 1 |
| Special Industry Machinery, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Water Supply | 1 | 1 |
| Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies | 1 | 1 |
| Computer Communications Equipment | 2 | 3 |
| Electronic Computers | 2 | 3 |
| Measuring & Controlling Devices, NEC | 2 | 3 |
| Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations | 2 | 3 |
| Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research | 2 | 3 |
| Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design | 2 | 3 |
| Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies | 2 | 3 |
| Services-Prepackaged Software | 12 | 19 |
| Finance Services | 17 | 28 |
| Biological Products, (No Diagnostic Substances) | 3 | 5 |
| Computer Storage Devices | 3 | 5 |
| Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, and Control | 3 | 5 |
| Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) | 2 | 4 |
| Retail-Eating Places | 2 | 4 |
| Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation | 2 | 4 |
| Accident & Health Insurance | 1 | 2 |
| Cigarettes | 1 | 2 |
| Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware | 1 | 2 |
| Industrial Organic Chemicals | 1 | 2 |
| Mining & Quarrying of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) | 1 | 2 |
| Paperboard Containers & Boxes | 1 | 2 |
| Printed Circuit Boards | 1 | 2 |
| Radio & Tv Broadcasting & Communications Equipment | 1 | 2 |
| Retail-Auto & Home Supply Stores | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Medical Laboratories | 1 | 2 |
| Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings | 1 | 2 |
| Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) | 1 | 2 |
| Transportation Services | 1 | 2 |
| Trucking (No Local) | 1 | 2 |
| Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. | 2 | 5 |
| Services-Business Services, NEC | 6 | 16 |
| Investment Advice | 3 | 8 |
| National Commercial Banks | 4 | 11 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts | 9 | 27 |
| Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service | 2 | 6 |
| Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip | 1 | 3 |
| Computer & office Equipment | 1 | 3 |
| Life Insurance | 1 | 3 |
| Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations | 1 | 3 |
| Retail-Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply | 1 | 3 |
| Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics | 1 | 3 |
| Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus | 3 | 10 |
| Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies | 2 | 7 |
| Semiconductors & Related Devices | 4 | 15 |
| Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys | 1 | 4 |
| Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services | 1 | 4 |
| Hospital & Medical Service Plans | 1 | 5 |
| Hotels & Motels | 1 | 5 |
| Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 1 | 5 |
| Retail-Variety Stores | 1 | 5 |
| Pharmaceutical Preparations | 2 | 11 |
| Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance | 2 | 12 |
| Petroleum Refining | 1 | 6 |
| State Commercial Banks | 1 | 6 |
| Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas | 1 | 7 |
| Electric Services | 2 | 15 |
432 paragraphs · Laboratory Analytical Instruments show all sectors
We are advancing AI across our product and service offerings, and we are in the initial phases of expanding AI into the core functions of our business. The development and deployment of AI presents both risks and opportunities, and the implementation process could adversely impact the operations of our business as a whole. AI algorithms utilized in the deployment may be flawed or based on datasets that are biased or insufficient, and do not adequately take into account the underlying nature of our business. Failure to adequately train our employees during the deployment of AI could adversely impact our business or result in delays or errors in our offerings. Our competitiveness could also be negatively impacted by our failure to timely develop or deploy AI in our products and services, particularly if our competitors are successful in AI advancements in their products and services. The development of AI technology will require significant investment in resources and human capital and could increase our costs. There is uncertainty related to the legal and regulatory landscape surrounding rapidly evolving AI technologies, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity, intellectual property, and privacy and data protection. Failure to comply or appropriately respond to this developing landscape may result in increased legal liability, adverse regulatory action, or reputational damage.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 24, 2026 ↗