On 26 November 2023, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), together with the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), published joint ‘Guidelines for Secure AI System Development’ (the Guidelines).

The Guidelines were formulated by CISA and the NCSC, in cooperation with 21 other international agencies and ministries, as well as industry experts.

Continue Reading UK & US cybersecurity agencies release new ‘Guidelines for Secure AI System Development’

On 17 October 2023, the First-Tier Tribunal of the General Regulatory Chamber – Information Rights (the Tribunal) handed down its decision in Clearview AI Inc v The Information Commissioner [2023] UKFTT 819, overturning the £7.5 million fine levied on Clearview AI Inc. (Clearview) by the ICO last year.

Continue Reading Clearview AI Inc., successfully appeals £7.5 million fine from the ICO but the ICO is fighting back!

Currently there are two trends on cookie consent banner design – either (1) the “Accept All” and “Reject All” options are shown in the first layer of a cookie consent management solution, or (2) only the “Accept All” option is shown in the first layer together with a link to the second layer of the cookie consent management solution where the user can reject to the use of non-essential cookies. There is more clarity on the views of the UK data protection authority on whether a “Reject All” option in the first layer of a cookie consent management solution is required.

Continue Reading “Reject All” button in cookie consent banners – An update from the UK and the EU

On 3 October 2023, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office organised its annual Data Protection Practioner’s Conference 2023 (DPPC 2023). This year its focus was on Cybersecurity – a topic that concerns organisations across the board. Here are the takeaways from the DPPC 2023 (the event sessions available here).

Continue Reading The UK Information Commissioner’s Data Protection Practioner’s Conference 2023 on Cybersecurity

On 3 October 2023, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published guidance (the Guidance) on lawful monitoring in the workplace. The Guidance provides advice to companies to help them comply with their obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) when monitoring anyone who performs work on their behalf. This is not limited to employees and could include monitoring of workers or those who are self-employed.

Continue Reading UK Workplace monitoring – are you compliant?

On 19 September, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) announced in a press release that it is to launch a pilot advisory service next year, called the DRCF AI and Digital Hub.

This service will be operated by members of the Digital Regulation Cooperation Forum (DRCF), made up of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the Office of Communications (Ofcom), the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

The DRCF AI and Digital Hub will provide businesses with tailored advice and support regarding how to meet requirements across multiple regulatory regimes. The DSIT anticipates that this service will expedite the process of getting new products and innovations to market, in a safe and responsible manner.

As such, the launch of the DRCF AI and Digital Hub will likely be welcome news for businesses across the UK, providing companies and innovators with the tools to navigate a challenging and multi-layered regulatory environment.

Continue Reading DRCF to launch AI and Digital Hub regulatory advice pilot in 2024

Further to the joint announcement in June by UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology and the US Commerce Secretary of their intention to create a UK-US data bridge (please see our blog for further details), the UK government has passed a Regulation establishing a UK-US data bridge. The data bridge comes in the form of an extension to the EU-US Data Bridge Privacy Framework (the DPF) and will come into force on 12 October.

Continue Reading UK government announces a UK data bridge with the US

On 11 September 2023, the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT), published the draft Data Protection (Fundamental Rights and Freedoms) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (DP Regulations), which seek to amend the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).

Continue Reading DSIT publishes draft amendments to the UK GDPR and DPA 2018

The House of Commons Committee on Science, Innovation and Technology (the Committee), embarked on an inquiry in October 2022 to assess the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various sectors, AI regulation, and the UK Government’s AI governance proposals. The resulting interim report, published on 31 August 2023, offers valuable insights, particularly from a legal standpoint, on the challenges and approaches related to AI governance in the UK.

Continue Reading AI, a Double-Edged Sword: Recommendations from the Committee’s Interim Report on AI

On July 26, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted new rules specifying enhanced disclosure regarding cybersecurity risk management, strategy governance, and incident disclosure. The SEC first proposed new cybersecurity rules back in March 2022. The agency’s comments to the final rule suggest greater disclosure and improved consistency of disclosures will benefit investors. Several of the key aspects of the final rules are outlined below, and ultimately will probably be navigable for organizations with meaningful incident response and evaluation experience as well as robust risk management programs which already include and evaluate cybersecurity.

Continue Reading SEC Issues Final Cybersecurity Rules Enhancing and Modifying Disclosure Requirements: Companies will want to Measure Twice and Cut Once

The UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport published draft Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (Security Requirements for Relevant Connectable Products) Regulations 2023 (Draft Security Regulations). These regulations fall under the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 (PSTIA) which come into effect on 29 April 2024 and which you can read about in our earlier blog. Part 1 of the PSTIA establishes a regulatory framework that imposes security requirements on manufacturers, importers, and distributors of these products. The Draft Security Regulations outline the specific security requirements for manufacturers.

Continue Reading Navigating the Path to Compliance: Takeaways from the New Draft Security Regulations for Connected Devices

Background

The European Commission (EC) issued the long-awaited adequacy decision for the new EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (Framework) on July 10, 2023. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) had previously invalidated both the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor in 2015, and the U.S.-EU Privacy Shield in 2020 after challenges by Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems (CJEU decisions known as Schrems I and Schrems II, respectively). Following those decisions President Biden signed Executive Order 14086 on “Enhancing Safeguards for United States Signals Intelligence Activities”, which introduced new binding safeguards. Our previous client alert discussed how the draft adequacy decision, including in relation to this this Executive Order, addressed concerns raised in Schrems II.

Continue Reading Third Time’s a Charm: European Commission adopts EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework

On June 27, 2023, the Council of Europe (“CoE”) announced the adoption of its first module of the Model Contractual Clauses (“MCCs”) for cross-border data transfers based on the Protocol amending the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with Regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (Convention 108+). These model clauses aim to regulate data flows between data controllers and are recommended for adoption by competent authorities.

Continue Reading Convention 108+: The Council of Europe Releases Model Contractual Clauses for Global Data Transfers

On 7 June 2023, the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) released a report Multilayer Framework for Good Cybersecurity Practices for AI (“Framework”) in response to the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) and the associated cybersecurity challenges. The publication aims to establish a robust framework that promotes cybersecurity practices throughout the entire lifecycle of AI, ranging from conceptualization to decommissioning. This blog summarises the main features of the Framework.

Continue Reading ENISA Releases Comprehensive Framework for Ensuring Cybersecurity in the Lifecycle of AI Systems

On 19 June 2023, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has released new Guidance on Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) for Data Protection Compliance. This guidance is designed to assist data protection officers (DPOs) and individuals responsible for managing large-scale personal data sets across diverse sectors, including finance, healthcare and research.

Continue Reading Guidance on Privacy-Enhancing Technologies for Data Protection Compliance: Key Considerations for Organizations

On 26 October 2023, the UK adopted the Online Safety Act 2023, which introduces new obligations for online platforms to improve user safety online by ensuring content that is illegal and harmful is monitored and removed. We previously compared the Act in its draft form with the EU Digital Services Act here and will be updating the table soon.

Continue Reading The UK Online Harms Bill becomes the Online Safety Act

On 12 September 2023, the UK Information Commissioner and the Chief Executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which establishes how the NCSC and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will cooperate. The NCSC is the technical authority in the UK that provides standards and guidance to organisations on cyber security. The ICO is responsible for providing guidance and enforcement of the data protection rules in the UK, including the obligation of organisations to apply security measures around personal data.

Continue Reading Boosting digital resilience – The UK Information Commissioner and NCSC CEO sign Memorandum of Understanding