On 5 July 2018, the European Parliament demanded in a resolution that the European Commission suspends its EU-U.S. Privacy Shield unless the U.S. administration introduces adequate data protection safeguards by 1 September 2018. The Privacy Shield agreement is aimed at facilitating data transfers of EU personal data to the United States. The non-binding resolution was … Continue Reading
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is underway, and companies and organizations around the world are analyzing its effects on how they collect, use, store and disclose data. U.S.-based sponsors of sweepstakes, contests, instant win games and other promotions opening entry to or targeting Europeans need to be mindful of the GDPR rules … Continue Reading
On 25 May 2018 the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) formally replaced the Article 29 Working Party as the European advisory committee on data protection issues. In addition to taking over Article 29 Working Party’s responsibilities in issuing guidelines, recommendations and statements of best practice, the EDPB, which operates as an independent body of the … Continue Reading
Article 23 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) allows EU Member States to restrict the scope of data subjects’ GDPR rights and organisations’ GDPR obligations. The Irish data protection authority, the Data Protection Commission (DPC), released guidelines (Guidelines) on GDPR Article 23 on 19 June 2018. The Irish Data Protection Act 2018 (the Act) … Continue Reading
You may well remember our blog from last year which outlined the Commission’s proposal for a framework in relation to the free flow of non-personal data in September 2017 (you can view our blog here). On 19 June 2018, the European Parliament, Council and the European Commission reached a political agreement on the rules that … Continue Reading
On 7 June 2018, the UK government published a technical note detailing options for future UK-EU cooperation on data protection, post-Brexit. The technical note is part of a series of papers produced by the UK Brexit negotiation team for discussion with the EU, in order to assist with the development of future EU-UK relations. The … Continue Reading
On 5 June 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) handed down its long-awaited Facebook fan page judgement (Case C-210/16), holding that the operator of a fan page on Facebook is jointly responsible with Facebook for processing the data of visitors to the page. Only a day later, the Conference of German … Continue Reading
On 23 May 2018, the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) received royal assent and became UK law. The DPA implements the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), while providing for certain permitted derogations, additions and UK-specific provisions. The DPA: Repeals and replaces the previous Data Protection Act 1998 (the 1998 Act) as the primary piece … Continue Reading
The General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/9679) (GDPR) came into effect on 25 May 2018. One of the key principles centres on integrity and confidentiality of personal data. Article 5(1)(f) of the GDPR provides that personal data shall be: “processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal data, including protection against unauthorised … Continue Reading
On 26 April 2018, the Conference of German Data Protection Authorities (German DPAs) released a highly criticised position paper on the applicability of the German Telemedia Act (TMA) after 25 May 2018 (Position Paper, available in German here). The Position Paper clearly states that tracking and profiling cookies now require informed prior opt-in consent. Position … Continue Reading
On 25 April 2018, the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice & Home Affairs Committee published a corrigendum (an error to be corrected in a printed work after publication) to the European General Data Protection Regulation ((EU 2016/679) (GDPR). There are 26 “official” language versions of the GDPR (all European Economic Area countries plus Norway and … Continue Reading
On 23 April 2018, the European Commission published a proposal for a Directive on the protection of whistleblowers reporting on breaches of EU law, accompanied by an explanatory memorandum. The Directive The intention behind the proposal is to harmonise the minimum level of protection available to whistleblowers across the EU. It reflects the Commission’s view … Continue Reading
As previously reported, the Supreme Court on November 29 heard arguments in Carpenter v. United States, an important privacy case about the Fourth Amendment’s application to 127 days’ worth of a criminal suspect’s cell-site location information. While the Court has yet to decide the case, its decisions last week in Byrd v. United States and … Continue Reading
On 10 May 2018, the Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018 (NISR) came into force in the UK. NISR stems from the Network Information Systems Directive 2016 of the EU, which has been covered by this blog previously. Relatedly, on 25 April 2018, the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published … Continue Reading
On 13 April 2018, the High Court, in NT1 & NT2 v Google LLC [2018] EWHC 799 (QB), ruled against Google, in favour of two businessmen advocating for the right to be forgotten. You can find the full judgment here, but in this blog we explore the reasoning behind the Court’s decision. Right to be … Continue Reading
In anticipation of the implementation of the Trade Secrets Directive, the topic of know-how protection has been widely discussed. Dr Anette Gärtner, along with Sabrina Gossler, has written an article which explores the current legal situation in Germany, analyses the relevant provisions of the Directive and explains the immediate next steps for companies operating in … Continue Reading
On 10 April 2018, the Article 29 Working Party (WP29) published revised guidelines on consent under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Consent is one of the six GDPR bases for the lawful processing of personal data. Technology Law Dispatch looked at the WP29’s draft guidelines on consent earlier this year. This article examines the … Continue Reading
The Article 29 Working Party (WP29) adopted, on 11 April 2018, finalized guidelines on transparency (the Guidelines) under the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (GDPR), following its public consultation. Technology Law Dispatch looked at the draft guidance on transparency earlier this year, so this blog focuses on the key issues and what is … Continue Reading
The Article 29 Working Party (WP29) published a consultation on guidelines for the accreditation of certification bodies under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which closed at the end of March. The consultation guidelines would require a certification body under the GDPR to be accredited by either the competent supervisory authority or the national accreditation … Continue Reading
In November 2017, the House of Commons Committee on Exiting the European Union (the Committee) published impact assessment reports of Brexit on various UK business sectors. The Report on the Technology (ICT) Sector (the Report) is a mix of qualitative and quantitative analysis. For each business sector, the Report includes: (i) a description of the … Continue Reading
Arizona and its Attorney General’s office have emerged as key players in the effort to prioritize data security on the national stage. Since his inauguration in 2015, Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has struck a balance between supporting innovation and protecting Arizonans’ privacy rights. With the support of Governor Doug Ducey, Arizona is taking active … Continue Reading
The Article 29 Working Party (WP29) discussed a number of important issues during its April plenary meeting on 17 April 2018. In its summary press release, the WP29 gave an update on the issues it discussed. Implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and adopted guidelines WP29 formally adopted guidelines on consent and transparency … Continue Reading
On 23 February 2018, the Article 29 Working Party (WP29) sent a letter to Alban Schmutz, President of Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE), in response to the organisation’s submission of a draft Code of Conduct for Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers. In conducting its review, the aim of WP29 was to ensure that the … Continue Reading
The findings from the recent Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf decision Mobiles Kommunikationssystem have established a new framework that should be followed when courts are benchmarking standard-essential patents (SEP) licence offers. The court has commented on which requirements are to be placed on the infringement notice, the licence request and the licence offer and how … Continue Reading
