By DMS Advogados
The context of the decision
On February 24, 2026, the Federal Senate approved Provisional Measure 1.317/2025, converting the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) into the National Data Protection Agency - keeping the acronym, but substantially changing its legal nature and institutional capacity.
The change is not cosmetic. It places the ANPD alongside the other Brazilian regulatory agencies - such as ANVISA, ANATEL and ANEEL - giving it functional, technical, decision-making, administrative and financial autonomy, as well as its own assets. Linked to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the new agency will operate with a staff of 200 specialists in data protection regulation, to be hired by public tender.
What changes in the structure: from authority to agency
The distinction between an “authority” and a “regulatory agency” is not just terminological. In legal and operational terms, regulatory agencies in Brazil enjoy enhanced institutional stability, greater shielding from direct political interference and their own budget structure. This translates, in practice, into greater regulatory predictability and a greater capacity to enforcement - that is, effective monitoring and the application of sanctions.
Consider a hypothetical scenario: two companies in the same sector, with similar volumes of data processed. One continuously invests in data governance - process mapping, internal policies, revised contracts and a customer service channel. The other maintains formal compliance, without operational substance. Under an authority with limited institutional capacity, the practical risk for both was relatively equal. Under an agency with specialized staff and an autonomous structure, the difference between the two has measurable consequences - in fines, in accountability and in reputation.
The Digital ECA as a vector for regulatory expansion
One of the main reasons for the structural change was the assignment of the ANPD to regulate the Digital Statute for Children and Adolescents (Digital ECA), established by Law 15.211/2025 and effective as of March 17, 2026.
This new competence is relevant for two reasons. Firstly, because it broadens the agency's scope of action to a highly sensitive sector - children's and adolescents' data in the digital environment - which has historically been treated with greater regulatory rigor in mature jurisdictions, such as the European Union. Secondly, because the deadline has already been set, which creates a defined and objective compliance window for companies that process data from this public.
The economic logic of preventive compliance
Investing in data protection involves a straightforward cost-benefit analysis. The cost of a structured compliance program - diagnosis, policy implementation, training, contract review - is measurable and predictable. The cost of a fine by the ANPD, by contrast, involves not only the fine (which can be up to 2% of turnover, capped at R$ 50 million per infringement), but also reputational costs, incident response and litigation with data subjects.
With a more structured agency, the likelihood of enforcement increases. This doesn't change the standard - the LGPD has been the same since 2020 - but it does change the risk calculation. Companies that operated with a tolerance for regulatory risk based on low enforcement capacity need to recalibrate this premise.
What companies should do now
The approval of Provisional Measure 1.317/2025 is an institutional milestone that recommends at least three immediate actions:
First, reviewing the maturity level of the data protection program in place - identifying gaps between formal compliance and effective operational compliance.
Secondly, a specific assessment of the processing of children's and adolescents' data, taking into account the obligations of the Digital ECA and the March 2026 deadline.
Thirdly, a review of contracts with data operators and suboperators, given that joint and several liability for incidents remains a significant risk factor.
Conclusion
The transformation of the ANPD into a regulatory agency does not usher in new legal obligations - the LGPD already establishes them. What it does usher in is a new institutional reality: a body with greater technical capacity, greater independence and greater muscle to carry out its duties with consistency.
The strategic question for any organization that processes personal data is objective: is your compliance program designed for the regulatory environment that existed, or for the one that will come into existence?
DMS Advogados provides legal advice on data protection, privacy and digital governance. Contact us for an assessment of your compliance program.
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