Top 6 Website Compliance Laws and Standards for 2026

The internet has become our hyperlink highway, seamlessly connecting us to solutions, answers, and everything in between- from household shopping to even health consultations. Nevertheless, without proper rules and regulations, it becomes a chaotic and unsafe space for users. This calls for several laws that deserve your attention. Read on to learn the top 6 website compliance laws and standards that your business must follow in 2026.

Website compliance for a business means adherence to a range of legal requirements including laws, regulations or guidelines. They primarily focus on ensuring privacy compliance, security or accessibility of a business website or online presence.

In this hyper-wired era, where websites and online platforms power every opportunity, ensuring compliance is essential to avoid legal risks, build trust, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Growing focus on global compliance standards

We live in a period where even small local businesses have the potential to enter the global market with the help of the Internet. Most times, it is also accompanied by a legal challenge to comply with multiple laws depending on the industry and place that you are in. However, the evolving laws of many countries show us that there is a growing focus on privacy, cybersecurity and accessibility standards that all businesses should start working on. 

Inclusivity and accessibility

Ensuring your website is accessible and welcoming to individuals with disabilities is a considerate initiative that also gives you a competitive advantage. It includes offering features like colour contrast adjustments, keyboard navigation, design consistency across web pages, and more. 

Through this, you could not only reach a broader audience but also enhance your brand’s morale. Moreover, rules like the Americans with Disabilities Act or the European Accessibility Act require businesses to maintain accessibility standards.

Data privacy protection

Governments around the world are focusing more on protecting consumer privacy. They want to regulate how personal data is used for commercial purposes and prevent unauthorised use. This is true for websites too as they may use cookies, pixels or other technologies for cross-site tracking and targeted advertising. This requires websites to stay compliant with privacy laws like the General Data Protection Regulation or the California Consumer Privacy Act.

Brand reputation and user trust

Consumers are increasingly mindful of how their personal information is handled. Staying compliant with evolving privacy regulations like GDPR, CCPA, Canada PIPEDA, and Brazil LGPD or web accessibility standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) cultivates customer trust and thereby increases your brand reputation. 

Avoid legal consequences

Website compliance also saves you from monumental fines and other associated costs.

#1 Privacy  laws 

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The European data protection law lays down strict rules for processing personal data. All entities offering goods or services to Europeans must operate in accordance with the GDPR obligations such as transparency, data subject rights, security and consent requirements.

Some of the responsibilities of businesses include:

• Provide explicit opt-in consent
• Identify a legal basis for processing personal data
• Conduct impact assessments if necessary
• Implement sufficient security measures to protect data
• Keep records of consent
• Provide a privacy policy to meet the transparency obligations

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

The California privacy regulation sets comparable standards for personal data processing while introducing some distinctive provisions. Unlike GDPR’s opt-in model, businesses covered by CCPA do not need explicit consent for processing personal data. However, they should allow consumers to opt out of data sales. This is known as the CCPA opt-out model.

Additionally, to adhere to CCPA, businesses need to be transparent about their data processing activities. You can provide a privacy policy, also known as a privacy notice or privacy statement conspicuously on your website. Besides, if you have not mentioned the use of cookies in your privacy policy, you may also provide it as a separate cookie policy. 

Canada PIPEDA

The Personal Information Protection and Electronics Communication Act (PIPEDA) is Canada’s federal privacy law that governs the personal data processing activities of private-sector organisations.

Covered businesses need to obtain meaningful consent by giving them clear and easily understandable information. Websites must display a cookie banner that is easy to understand and gives the freedom to choose whether to accept or reject cookies.

In addition, provide detailed policies on your website and implement adequate security measures to comply with other PIPEDA obligations.

Brazil LGPD

Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD) requires businesses processing the personal data of Brazilians to follow certain privacy standards. It specifies ten legal bases under which businesses can lawfully process personal data.

Organisations must obtain specific and informed consent by giving users control and real choice over their data. Since cookies contain personal data, websites must display a cookie banner to obtain explicit user consent before deploying non-necessary cookies. They must also comply with the transparency obligations and honour data subject rights promptly.

#2 Accessibility laws

Conformance with accessibility guidelines is an opportunity for businesses to create an inclusive digital space.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a landmark civil rights law designed to ensure equal opportunities for people with disabilities across key areas of life, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, and services. While ADA website compliance standards are not explicitly mentioned in the law, US courts have increasingly interpreted websites as “places of public accommodation”.

To meet ADA web accessibility requirements, start by auditing your site for accessibility issues and work toward conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA at minimum. The Department of Justice also references these standards when enforcing ADA compliance. That said, WCAG 2.2 is steadily gaining traction and is expected to become the new benchmark for digital accessibility going forward.

Beyond the ADA, the US has additional accessibility frameworks worth knowing, including Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (which applies to federal agencies and contractors) and state-level laws such as California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.

European Accessibility Act (EAA)

Adopted in 2019, the EAA requires businesses to make their websites accessible by June 2025. It complements the Web Accessibility Directive by extending the accessibility requirements from the public sector to private companies.

The EAA covers a broad range of sectors including e-commerce, banking, transport, e-books and smartphones. It references EN 301 549, the standard for accessibility which resembles the WCAG guidelines issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C); however, while the WCAG focuses solely on web standards, the EAA addresses a wider array of areas, including hardware and telecommunications standards.

Accessible Canada Act 

The ACA applies to federal agencies (Immigration Department, Via Rail) and federally regulated private organisations (Banks, internet, phone companies) with 10 or more employees. It primarily focuses on areas like employment, transportation, information and communication technologies.

While it does not specifically impose any standards other than the need for organisations to make accessible plans and implementation, it is expected to be the same as suggested by similar laws like the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). It prescribes the WCAG 2.1 level AA as the current standard.

Global standards for web accessibility

Most laws prescribe the WCAG 2.1 levels A and AA as standards for accessible websites. So, let us also discuss some key requirements to make your website inclusive and improve the user experience.

#3 Copyright laws

Copyright is a fundamental aspect of intellectual property rights that protects the original creation of an author from being used, displayed or distributed without their permission. In most countries including those following the Berne Convention, copyright is automatic upon creation of an original work. Website content also falls under the scope and is therefore instantly copyrighted without any need for registration.

Website content covers a wide range of copyrightable elements such as:

• Written articles, blogs and descriptions
• Custom designs
• Illustrations or infographics
• Other creative elements

Therefore, unauthorised use of someone else’s content can lead to enforcement actions in most jurisdictions.

#4 Cookie laws

Cookie consent requirements in most countries are prescribed within their respective privacy regulations. However, some countries issue specific guidelines on using cookies and obtaining cookie consent.

The e-privacy directive (cookie law) is a privacy legislation that regulates the privacy and protection of personal data in electronic communications. It along with the GDPR regulates the way online platforms like websites and mobile apps collect and process data. 

To comply with these rules, businesses must:

• Display a cookie banner and collect explicit opt-in consent for non-necessary cookies 
• Provide granular consent options
• Allow users to reject cookies as easily as accepting them
• Provide a privacy and cookie policy
• Allow convenient mechanisms to withdraw consent
• Maintain records of user consent 

Countries like Norway, Italy, Belgium, Croatia and Greece have also issued similar guidelines. 

Furthermore, for most US laws like CCPA, cookie consent requirements can be met through a cookie opt-out banner that allows consumers to direct a website not to use third-party cookies.

#5 Health Information Portability and Accountability Act

HIPAA is a US federal law enacted primarily to protect the personal health information of Americans. Websites that collect and process health information from consumers must ensure compliance.

• Implement reasonable and proportional security measures
• Choose HIPAA-compliant hosting services
• Use industry-standard encryption methods and access controls
• Ensure secure communication tools for live chat or data collection forms

#6 Security standards

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard)

PCI DSS is a globally recognised set of security standards developed to protect payment card account data. It was established by the major payment brands like Visa and Mastercard, through the PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). Any entity that stores, processes, or transmits cardholder data (CHD) or sensitive authentication data (SAD) falls within its scope. This includes merchants, payment processors, acquirers, issuers, and service providers.

The current version, PCI DSS v4.0, places greater emphasis on flexibility, security as a continuous process, and enhanced authentication and encryption practices.

NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is voluntary guidance developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help organisations better manage and reduce cybersecurity risk. Originally created in response to a 2013 Presidential Executive Order focused on protecting critical infrastructure, it has since become one of the most widely adopted cybersecurity references in the United States and beyond.

The framework was updated to version 2.0 in 2024, expanding its scope beyond critical infrastructure to all organisations and adding a new “Govern” function. While it is not a legally binding regulation, many US compliance programmes, state-level laws, and federal agency requirements reference the NIST CSF as a benchmark. Aligning your website and broader digital operations with the CSF is considered a best practice for demonstrating a responsible approach to cybersecurity risk management.

The following are some standard website practices your business must adopt in 2026.

• Display a cookie consent banner tailored to location-specific regulations
• Integrate effective cookie consent solutions like CookieYes to meet global cookie consent requirements
• Provide a privacy policy describing your data-handling practices
• Implement necessary security measures to protect personal data
• Keep yourself updated with privacy and web accessibility laws
• Ensure your website provides equal access for individuals with disabilities
• Verify that your website meets at least WCAG 2.1 AA standards
• Provide an accessibility statement and conduct accessibility audits
• Avoid unauthorised use of original content 
• Use a PCI DSS-compliant payment processor and avoid storing raw cardholder data on your website.
• Adopt a recognised cybersecurity framework, such as the NIST.