by Shenea Graham
In my last post, I shared how data privacy stopped being “someone else’s problem” and became part of my own story. This month, one theme kept resurfacing: regulatory compliance. Here’s the truth — privacy isn’t just about principles, it’s also about laws. And not just one law, but a whole patchwork of global, regional, and local regulations. GDPR in Europe. CCPA in California. HIPAA in the US. POPIA in South Africa. And those are just a few. Every country, every region, seems to be drawing its own map. And for businesses working across borders, it can feel like walking into a maze where the walls keep moving.
What I realised
When I first heard these acronyms, I thought compliance was a checklist. Tick the boxes, file the reports, job done. But compliance isn’t static. It shifts. Laws are updated. New ones appear. Old ones are challenged in court. What was complaint yesterday may not be compliant tomorrow. It’s not a one-time effort — it’s an ongoing responsibility.
Why it matters:
Falling behind on compliance doesn’t just mean risking fines (though those can be huge).
It means:
Losing trust with clients and partners.
Weakening your ability to operate in certain regions.
Putting employees in difficult positions when rules aren’t clear.
Creating uncertainty in how you handle people’s data.
And once trust is gone, no regulation can win it back for you.
How I’m approaching it:
I’m not trying to learn every law in the world (that would take a lifetime).
Instead, I’ve been focusing on patterns:
Understand the principles — transparency, fairness, accountability.
Know the key differences — what GDPR asks of you vs. what HIPAA demands.
Keep learning — updates will come, and pretending they don’t is the fastest way to fall behind.
It’s not perfect. I still get lost in the jargon. I still ask too many “simple” questions in training sessions. But I’ve stopped seeing compliance as red tape — and started seeing it as part of the trust we build with people.
Walk with me?
If the first part of this journey was realising privacy is everyone’s story, this part is about recognising how rules shape that story. Regulations can feel heavy, but they’re not going away. The challenge is learning to walk with them, not against them.
Shenea Graham is the author of engaging data privacy blogs and a skilled process thinker who helps clients integrate data protection into everyday business practices. With her approachable style and practical insight, she’s a great person to speak to if you have questions about managing data privacy and reducing risk. As a valued member of the Pétanque NXT Compliance team, she supports clients with tailored, real-world solutions that align privacy requirements with business operations.