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One breach can wipe out years of market momentum and put growth on hold. The average cost of a data breach in the U.S. has increased to over $10 million dollars , with containment often taking most of a year. That reality has pushed privacy from a back-office concern to a board-level discipline that directly affects revenue, valuations, and deal velocity. Privacy and security are now core business functions, and Data Protection Officers (DPOs) who treat them as such are the ones building programs that hold up under regulatory scrutiny, survive incidents, and earn the trust that accelerates growth. This article covers how DPOs can build and operate data protection programs that reduce regulatory exposure, protect organizational trust, and demonstrate measurable value to the business. Privacy Is a Business Asset, and DPOs are the Architects Data or Information privacy is the disciplined

*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-(--header-height)" dir="auto" data-turn-id="264aedad-09e4-4c03-b97f-bc729c8a51e3" data-testid="conversation-turn-3" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn="user"> For many enterprises, age checks have moved from being a nice-to-have element in the legal department for compliance to a mandatory item on the product roadmap. More than ever, they influence conversion, brand safety, and the cost of doing business. Decision-makers must treat them as part of the business, with clear service-level agreements, rather than as one-off compliance tasks. And the companies that will win in 2026 are those delivering age assurance that is fast, private, and portable across all relevant business regions without eroding trust or creating risks. What are age