Vivek Mohan, Stephenie Gosnell Handler, Melissa Farrar, Mellissa Campbell Duru, Christine Bonomo, Hugh Danilack, Jill Refvem, Kyle Clendenon, Anne Lonowski
January 24, 2026
Gibson Dunn DOJ Data Security Program Task Force Update – How Are Companies Responding?

7 min
AI-made summary
- The Department of Justice’s Data Security Program (DSP), effective since April 8, 2025, requires companies to assess and manage risks related to bulk sensitive personal data and U.S
- government-related data
- Following a 90-day enforcement grace period, full enforcement began on July 9, 2025
- Companies are developing compliance programs, adjusting internal processes, and evaluating vendor relationships
- Preliminary review of SEC filings shows limited DSP-related disclosures, with most appearing in risk factor sections of periodic reports.
This update summarizes preliminary observations about where companies are focusing their compliance efforts, the challenges they are grappling with, and initial observations of public company disclosures involving the Data Security Program.~~I. Introduction~~As discussed in our previous client alert, on December 27, 2024, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a final rule pursuant to a mandate set out in Executive Order 14117 that established a new federal regulatory framework for “bulk sensitive personal data” and “United States government-related data.”[1] This framework, which came into effect on April 8, 2025, has been referred to by DOJ as the “Data Security Program” (DSP).[2]~~Despite the DSP’s effective date, DOJ de-prioritized DSP civil enforcement against persons who made “good faith” efforts to comply with the DSP, for a period of 90 days. Full enforcement of the DSP began on July 9, 2025, after which DOJ made clear that “individuals and entities should be in full compliance with the DSP and should expect [the DOJ National Security Division] to pursue appropriate enforcement with respect to any violations.”[3]~~In the two months since July 9, and in the lead-up to the October 6, 2025 deadline by which companies engaging in restricted transactions are expected to adopt and be able to demonstrate compliance measures (including audit, reporting, and certification requirements), companies continue to assess their potential exposure under the DSP, take steps to manage and mitigate attendant risks, and build out their compliance programs. But given the challenges associated with complying with a complex—and sometimes vague, opaque, and inconsistent—rule and the lack of any enforcement history, companies are moving forward under a cloud of uncertainty.~~This alert summarizes some preliminary observations about where companies are focusing their compliance efforts and challenges they are grappling with ahead of the October 6 deadline. We also discuss our initial observations of public company disclosures involving the DSP.~~II. Compliance, Governance, and Risk Management Observations~~In our July client alert, we recommended that companies seeking to comply with the DSP prioritize conducting a data risk assessment, implementing security measures, and building out a compliance program. While the “data compliance program” spelled out in the DOJ Compliance Guide is, in theory, only required for companies that are actually engaged in restricted transactions, companies should take steps to determine whether the DSP’s prohibitions and restrictions apply to their activities. As a practical matter, for risk-reduction purposes, many companies—such as global multinationals, domestic companies engaged in global supply chain activities or with a global customer base, and even domestic companies that have offshore customer support or back-office functions—are strategically implementing many of the same programmatic elements that the DSP requires, even if they do not presently engage in restricted transactions.~~Because the DSP is a novel regulatory regime, companies are creating new internal policies and processes; identifying data flows; evaluating—and, where necessary, adjusting—vendor and supplier relationships; recalibrating employee roles or responsibilities; evaluating and deploying new security measures; articulating expectations to subsidiaries, affiliates, and third parties; and revising existing contracts. The degree to which companies not engaged in restricted transactions implement each aspect of the “data compliance program” will vary based on their assessed risk exposure. However, because compliance with the DSP is not a point-in-time exercise, but rather an ongoing obligation, many companies are implementing at least a baseline framework for regularly evaluating DSP-related risks.~~Since the end of the enforcement grace period in July, companies have continued to focus on the following key compliance, governance, and risk management issues:~~Companies with any level of restricted transaction risk will want to establish a strong tone from the top. As a practical matter, this will likely involve appointing an individual or committee that is accountable for oversight of work across the company (and who has the support of senior leadership) to coordinate action on the DSP’s wide-ranging requirements. Such cross-company leadership and accountability is key to building a strong compliance program. However, determining DSP compliance leadership and responsibilities can present cross-organizational challenges. While elements of a DSP compliance program align with existing roles and capabilities, the DSP does not fit neatly into many companies’ existing compliance structures because it implicates multiple cross-company functions and competencies, including information security, privacy, export controls/sanctions, as well as other established legal and compliance teams.~~III. Public Company Disclosure Observations~~Preliminary observations from a sample survey of companies’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings since the DSP’s effective date of April 8, 2025 revealed limited disclosure related to the DSP.[7] Only two of the S&P 500 companies that filed a 10-K and six of the S&P 500 companies that filed a 10-Q in the five and a half months since the effective date of the regulations included a DSP-related disclosure. Of this limited data set, the majority of such disclosures appear in the Risk Factor discussion of companies’ periodic reports.[8] A range of industries are represented among the companies with filings that included DSP-related disclosure, although given the small sample size, it is difficult to extrapolate broader takeaways based on the filings to date.~~Against the backdrop of ongoing DSP compliance efforts and upcoming entry into effect of all portions of the regulations, DSP-related disclosures for fiscal year 2025 annual filings may become more common. Gibson Dunn’s DOJ DSP Task Force will continue to monitor these trends.~~[1] Exec. Order No. 14117, “Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and U.S. Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern,” 89 Fed. Reg. 15421 (issued Feb. 28, 2024; published Mar. 1, 2024).~~[2] See Preventing Access to U.S. Sensitive Personal Data and Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern, 90 Fed. Reg. 1636 (Jan. 8, 2025); Pertaining to Preventing Access to U.S. Sensitive Personal Data and Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern, 90 Fed. Reg. 16466 (Apr. 18, 2025) (codified at 28 C.F.R. §§ 202 et seq.); see also Dep’t. of Justice, DSP Compliance Guide (Apr. 11, 2025), https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1396356/dl; Dep’t. of Justice, DSP: Frequently Asked Questions (Apr. 11, 2025), https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1396351/dl; Dep’t. of Justice, DSP: Implementation and Enforcement Policy Through July 8, 2025 (Apr. 11, 2025), https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1396346/dl?inline.~~[3] Dep’t. of Justice, DSP: Implementation and Enforcement Policy Through July 8, 2025, at p. 3 (Apr. 11, 2025), https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1396346/dl?inline.~~[4] See Dep’t. of Justice, DSP Compliance Guide (Apr. 11, 2025), https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1396356/dl; Dep’t. of Justice, DSP: Frequently Asked Questions (Apr. 11, 2025), https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1396351/dl.~~[5] See Dep’t. of Justice, DSP Compliance Guide, at p. 17 (Apr. 11, 2025), https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1396356/dl.~~[6] Id.~~[7] Filings made between April 8, 2025 and September 29, 2025 were surveyed.~~[8] The effective date of the DSP came after most December 31 fiscal year-end public companies had filed their annual reports for the 2024 fiscal year. Accordingly, the number of 10-K filings in the sample survey is limited.~~The following Gibson Dunn lawyers prepared this update: Vivek Mohan, Stephenie Gosnell Handler, Melissa Farrar, Mellissa Campbell Duru, Christine Bonomo, Hugh Danilack, Jill Refvem, Kyle Clendenon, and Anne Lonowski.~~Gibson Dunn lawyers are available to assist in addressing any questions you may have about these developments. Please contact the Gibson Dunn lawyer with whom you usually work, any of the following leaders and members of the firm’s DOJ DSP Task Force or its Privacy, Cybersecurity & Data Innovation, International Trade Advisory & Enforcement, or Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance practice groups, or the authors:~~Vivek Mohan – Palo Alto (+1 650.849.5345, vmohan@gibsondunn.com) Stephenie Gosnell Handler – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8510, shandler@gibsondunn.com) Melissa Farrar – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3579, mfarrar@gibsondunn.com) Mellissa Campbell Duru – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8204, mduru@gibsondunn.com) Christine Bonomo – San Francisco (+1 415.393.4627, cbonomo@gibsondunn.com) Hugh N. Danilack – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.777.9536, hdanilack@gibsondunn.com) Jill Refvem – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3794, jrefvem@gibsondunn.com) Kyle D. Clendenon – Houston (+1 346.718.6641, kclendenon@gibsondunn.com) Anne Lonowski – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.777.9427, alonowski@gibsondunn.com)~~Privacy, Cybersecurity & Data Innovation:~~Ashlie Beringer – Palo Alto (+1 650.849.5327, aberinger@gibsondunn.com) Keith Enright – Palo Alto (+1 650.849.5386, kenright@gibsondunn.com) Cassandra L. Gaedt-Sheckter – Palo Alto (+1 650.849.5203, cgaedt-sheckter@gibsondunn.com) Svetlana S. Gans – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8657, sgans@gibsondunn.com) Stephenie Gosnell Handler – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8510, shandler@gibsondunn.com) Jane C. Horvath – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8505, jhorvath@gibsondunn.com) Vivek Mohan – Palo Alto (+1 650.849.5345, vmohan@gibsondunn.com) Hugh N. Danilack – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.777.9536, hdanilack@gibsondunn.com)~~International Trade Advisory & Enforcement:~~Adam M. Smith – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3547, asmith@gibsondunn.com) David P. Burns – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3786, dburns@gibsondunn.com) Stephenie Gosnell Handler – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8510, shandler@gibsondunn.com) Christopher T. Timura – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3690, ctimura@gibsondunn.com) Michelle A. Weinbaum – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8274, mweinbaum@gibsondunn.com) Roxana Akbari – Orange County (+1 949.475.4650, rakbari@gibsondunn.com) Karsten Ball – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.777.9341, kball@gibsondunn.com) Sarah L. Pongrace – New York (+1 212.351.3972, spongrace@gibsondunn.com) Anna Searcey – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3655, asearcey@gibsondunn.com)~~Securities Regulation & Corporate Governance:~~Aaron Briggs – San Francisco (+1 415.393.8297, abriggs@gibsondunn.com) Mellissa Campbell Duru – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8204, mduru@gibsondunn.com) Elizabeth Ising – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8287, eising@gibsondunn.com) Thomas J. Kim – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3550, tkim@gibsondunn.com) Brian J. Lane – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.887.3646, blane@gibsondunn.com) Julia Lapitskaya – New York (+1 212.351.2354, jlapitskaya@gibsondunn.com) James J. Moloney – Orange County (+1 949.451.4343, jmoloney@gibsondunn.com) Ronald O. Mueller – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8671, rmueller@gibsondunn.com) Michael A. Titera – Orange County (+1 949.451.4365, mtitera@gibsondunn.com) Geoffrey E. Walter – Washington, D.C. (+1 202-887-3749, gwalter@gibsondunn.com) Lori Zyskowski – New York (+1 212.351.2309, lzyskowski@gibsondunn.com)~~© 2025 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. All rights reserved. For contact and other information, please visit us at www.gibsondunn.com.~~Attorney Advertising: These materials were prepared for general informational purposes only based on information available at the time of publication and are not intended as, do not constitute, and should not be relied upon as, legal advice or a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. Gibson Dunn (and its affiliates, attorneys, and employees) shall not have any liability in connection with any use of these materials. The sharing of these materials does not establish an attorney-client relationship with the recipient and should not be relied upon as an alternative for advice from qualified counsel. Please note that facts and circumstances may vary, and prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.~~Download PDF~~
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Vivek Mohan, Stephenie Gosnell Handler, Melissa Farrar, Mellissa Campbell Duru, Christine Bonomo, Hugh Danilack, Jill Refvem, Kyle Clendenon, Anne Lonowski
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