Why and how the regulation of emerging technologies occurs is not clear in the literature. In this study, we adapt the multiple streams frameworkoften used for explaining agenda-setting and policy adoptionto examine the phenomenon. We hypothesize how technological change affects policy-making and identify conditions under which the streams can be (de-) coupled. We trace the formulation of the General Data Protection Regulation to show that the regulation occupied the legislative agenda when a policy window was exploited through policy entrepreneurship to frame technological change as a problem for data privacy and legislative harmonization within the European Union. Although constituencies interested in promoting internet technologies made every effort to stall the regulation, various actors, activities, and events helped the streams remain coupled, eventually leading to its adoption. We conclude that the alignment of problem, policy, politics, and technologythrough policy entrepreneurshipinfluences the timing and design of technology regulation.