Privacy Rises in M&A Playbook as New Laws Highlight Risks

EU and California privacy laws have become major factors for corporate executives weighing mergers and acquisitions, amid increased fears of regulatory scrutiny and potentially enormous fines.

The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation has heightened the importance of the potential privacy and regulatory implications of any transaction. Companies looking to make deals also have to look at California’s new law, which takes effect next Jan. 1, attorneys told Bloomberg Law.

“This change we’re seeing in the M&A landscape is the most drastic change I’ve seen,” Daniel Ilan, a partner with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton with experience in cybersecurity and privacy ...