Tech Giants Race To Reinvent Privacy In 2026

In the digital age, privacy has become a moving target—constantly shifting as new laws, technologies, and corporate strategies collide. The past week has seen a flurry of activity from some of the world’s biggest tech players and regulators, each trying to reassure users while grappling with mounting threats and public skepticism. From Apple’s latest iOS update to TikTok’s controversial privacy pop-up, and from Samsung’s hush-hush security features to blockchain’s privacy promises, 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for personal data protection.

On January 29, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) in South Korea rolled out a major update to its “Find my leaked information” service. The timing wasn’t coincidental: credential stuffing attacks—where hackers use stolen IDs and passwords to break into accounts on other sites—have surged, and leaks on the dark web are on the rise. According to the commission, the revamped platform now lets users check for leaks using just their email address, a nod to the reality that emails are often the key to many online services. The daily usage limit has also been bumped up from one to three, making it easier for people to monitor their exposure.

The PIPC emphasized that this upgrade is about more than convenience—it’s about keeping pace with evolving threats. "If a leak is confirmed, changing the password or setting up two-step verification can reduce the risk of account takeover," the commission advised. The Board of Audit and Inspection had previously flagged the need for improved service quality, prompting the commission to launch a user satisfaction survey. The feedback, officials say, will shape future improvements, ensuring the service doesn’t just keep up, but stays ahead.

Meanwhile, in the United States, Apple has quietly pushed the boundaries of location privacy with a new feature in iOS 26.3 called Limit Precise Location. As detailed by Help Net Security, this setting restricts the granularity of location data that iPhones share with cellular carriers. Instead of pinpointing a user’s exact address, networks can now only determine the general neighborhood—unless the user opts in for more precise tracking. "This setting affects only the location data available to cellular networks. It doesn’t impact the location data that you share with apps through Location Services," Apple clarified in its documentation. For those worried about friends or family losing track, Apple reassures users that Find My and similar services remain unaffected.

The feature is only available on select devices—think iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, and the latest iPad Pro models running iOS 26.3 or later—and only in certain countries and with specific carriers. To enable or disable it, users can navigate to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Limit Precise Location. While it’s not a universal solution, it’s a significant step toward giving users more control over who knows where they are at any given moment.

Not to be outdone, Samsung is preparing its own privacy play. According to a recent Mashable report by Alex Perry, the company is teasing a "pixel level" privacy feature for its upcoming Galaxy S26 phones. While details are still under wraps, the feature promises to let users enter sensitive passwords or information in public without worrying about prying eyes. There’s talk of granular controls—users could choose which apps get the privacy treatment, or even censor notification pop-ups. Leaks suggest this might be tied to the so-called "Privacy Display" function, but for now, Samsung remains tight-lipped, with an official reveal expected at the Galaxy Unpacked event in late February.

These moves by Apple and Samsung come as privacy concerns reach a fever pitch in the social media world. On January 22, TikTok US hit millions of users with a mandatory privacy terms update. The pop-up, which users had to accept to keep using the app, included language about collecting “citizenship or immigration status”—a detail that sent shockwaves across social media. The company clarified that it’s not directly asking for such information; rather, it’s disclosing the possibility of collecting sensitive data if users volunteer it in videos, surveys, or AI interactions. The update was largely driven by California’s AB-947, a law signed in October 2023 that classifies immigration status as sensitive personal information and requires companies to disclose how they handle it.

Still, the backlash was swift. Critics, including Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, blasted the timing and transparency of the update—especially since it coincided with TikTok US becoming a US-owned entity. Some users threatened to delete their accounts, while others worried about the implications for privacy and government surveillance. The new policy also changed TikTok’s stance on location tracking, now allowing the collection of precise location data depending on user settings, though users can opt out. According to TechCrunch, this explicit disclosure sets TikTok apart from rivals like Meta, though it may not signal a real difference in what data is collected—just how clearly it’s spelled out.

Beyond the headlines, questions linger about how social media giants handle requests from law enforcement and government agencies. Forbes reports that TikTok recently removed a commitment to notify users before sharing data with authorities, and the company has sidestepped questions about sharing information with agencies like DHS or ICE. For privacy advocates, that uncertainty is the real issue—not just what’s written in the terms, but what happens behind the scenes.

In the world of blockchain and AI, privacy is taking a different form. On January 30, AlphaTON Capital Corp., a micro-cap company listed on NASDAQ, announced the launch of its Claude Connector platform. The tool integrates Anthropic’s Claude AI with the TON blockchain via Telegram, letting users manage digital assets and execute blockchain transactions using plain language commands—all with end-to-end encryption. Brittany Kaiser, CEO of AlphaTON Capital, called it part of a "confidential compute AI craze" that’s seeing users shift away from Big Tech cloud solutions toward local, privacy-first servers. The connector uses the Model Context Protocol and, critically, does not store private keys or mnemonics in the app code, which the company claims enhances security.

AlphaTON is betting big on this privacy-focused future, having raised $44 million to expand its AI infrastructure for Telegram—including a $15 million direct offering—and investing $46 million in AI hardware, with plans to integrate 576 NVIDIA B300 chips by March. The company’s strategic partnership with the Midnight Foundation, which focuses on privacy-enhancing blockchain technology, includes a 20% revenue share and positions AlphaTON as a founding Federated Node Architecture Provider for the Midnight network. Leadership even discussed these expansions at a recent investor event at Mar-a-Lago, underscoring the high stakes and high hopes riding on privacy tech in the AI era.

As the privacy landscape shifts, one thing is clear: whether it’s a government commission, a smartphone giant, a social media powerhouse, or a blockchain startup, the race to protect personal data is intensifying. Users are demanding more transparency, more control, and, above all, more trust. The companies and regulators who deliver on those demands may well define the next chapter of the digital age.