Reed Smith IP, Tech & Data attorneys Divonne Smoyer and Alexis Cocco conducted an in-depth Q&A with Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh. During the interview, he discusses his priorities for data privacy and security for Maryland, including his hopes for future legislation in both Maryland and federally. AG Frosh is currently in his second term … Continue Reading
According to a report issued last week, tens of thousands of cannabis dispensary customers’ personal data has been exposed following a data breach of a sales system that at least three (and likely more) cannabis dispensaries may have used to manage their sales to customers. Our recent client alert highlights the increasing threat that cyber … Continue Reading
With newly proposed legislation, the House has joined the Senate in introducing bipartisan legislation making changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). This pending legislation, when combined with the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) ongoing COPPA review and workshop, foreshadows expanded COPPA protections, especially for teenagers between 13 and 15 years of age. In … Continue Reading
A top goal for 2020 is to review and negotiate your directors and officers (D&O) (and other) insurance policies to make sure they are as favorable as possible from a coverage and pricing perspective. (See Make a few small yet substantial plans: five steps to managing directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and other risks in 2020.) … Continue Reading
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office has published a draft Code of Practice on Direct Marketing, which is now out for consultation. Here we discuss the context for this and key takeaway points from its 120+ pages. Read more about this topic in our recent client alert. … Continue Reading
Washington state’s lawmakers started the 2020 legislative session with a renewed focus on consumer privacy through the introduction of ten privacy-related bills across the state House and Senate on January 13. Chief among these proposals was the comprehensive Washington Privacy Act (WPA), a new version of which was re-introduced in the Senate after the previous … Continue Reading
Despite intensive lobbying from industry groups, multiple amendments before its effective date, and extensive proposed regulations from the California attorney general, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) went into effect earlier this month with still many questions left unanswered: What compromises will be made regarding employee and business-to-business data? Will there be further insight into … Continue Reading
With the Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act (effective January 1, 2020), or “AI Video Act,” Illinois has passed a groundbreaking new law regulating the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in video recruitment practices. Background Employers increasingly seek tech-enabled tools to facilitate the hiring, evaluation, retention and development of their workforces. However, as the implementation of … Continue Reading
On 13 November 2019, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted the guidelines on Data Protection by Design and Default (DPbDD) for public consultation (link here) until 16 January 2020, providing an in-depth analysis of the components that make up DPbDD under GDPR article 25. We highlight below some of the key definitions. Background DPbDD … Continue Reading
This week the EU’s independent data protection authority (DPA), the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), published a preliminary opinion on data protection and scientific research subject to the General Data Protection Regulation 679/2016 (GDPR) and Regulation 1725/2018 governing data protection in EU institutions (Preliminary Opinion). Regulation 1725/2018 is very similar to the GDPR’s provisions in … Continue Reading
As we look toward a new year and a new decade, advertisers will need to be a step ahead of the market, in order to keep up with changing trends, a world impacted by an increased sensitivity to privacy and the use of data, and consumers who have grown savvy to influencer marketing and product … Continue Reading
2019 signalled significant growth in both regulatory focus and litigation involving biometric privacy. The passage of the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the addition of biometrics to numerous state data breach notification laws (including New York), and continued class action lawsuits emanating from Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) made biometrics a trend line in … Continue Reading
The German Data Protection Authorities (German DPAs) released a “Report on the Experience Gained in the Implementation of the GDPR”, which was adopted at their conference on November 6, 2019 (Report; available in German here and English here). In this blog, we summarize the key issues that the German DPAs have raised in the Report. … Continue Reading
According to experts, most New Year’s resolutions fail because sweeping change is difficult. Rather, the best results come from taking small steps. Here are five small steps to take to make sure your directors’ and officers’ (D&O) coverage can tackle potential cyber risks. Review your coverage program from last year. Endorsements, policy provisions, and pricing … Continue Reading
Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) has announced that data breach notification will soon become mandatory in Singapore. However, not all breaches need to be reported. We have prepared this guide to aid businesses in understanding when, to whom and how to notify should they encounter a data breach. As further guidance and details on … Continue Reading
On 19 November 2019, the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA) released its report ‘Good practices for security of Internet of Things (IoT)’ (Report), providing a comprehensive analysis of security concerns surrounding IoT, secure Software Development Life Cycle (sSDLC) principles, and setting out best practices. Below, we highlight some of the key … Continue Reading
Today, the Advocate General Henrik Saugmandsgaard Øe (AG) published his opinion on a case brought by privacy rights activist, Max Schrems (C-311/18, Data Protection Commissioner v. Facebook Ireland Limited, Maximillian Schrems) (Schrems II). The case concerns the validity of the standard contractual clauses (SCCs). The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) press release … Continue Reading
The Winter 2019 Edition of the quarterly IT & Data Protection Newsletter by Reed Smith Germany has just been released: English version German version In this edition we cover the following topics: ECJ decision on the use of cookies (“Planet49”) does not provide clarity ECJ: Global take-down duties of hosting providers ECJ on the territorial … Continue Reading
On 4 December 2019, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published draft guidance on data subject access requests (DSARs) (Guidance). This updated Guidance comes just 18 months after the current version was first published in April 2018. Previously, in June 2019, the ICO (here) criticised the Metropolitan Police for its handling of DSARs. The ICO also … Continue Reading
Increasingly, businesses are looking to adopt data protection certifications and standards for myriad reasons, including enhancing consumer trust, demonstrating compliance when contracting with partners and managing regulatory risk. We have prepared a high-level comparison to guide Singapore businesses in determining which certification or certifications could be the best fit. ISO/IEC 27701:2019 Who can apply: All … Continue Reading
Last week (28 November 2019), the European Banking Authority (EBA) released the final version of its report entitled ‘EBA Guidelines on ICT and security risk management’ (the Guidelines) (link here) on the mitigation and management of financial institutions’ (FIs) information and communication technology (ICT) and security risks. We highlight below some of the key takeaways. … Continue Reading
On 14 November 2019, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published guidance (link here for organisations that process special category personal data (the Guidance). Previously, organisations tended to focus only on GDPR article 9 processing bases when processing special category personal data. Following this update from the ICO, organisations are reminded that they must have both … Continue Reading
On 19 November 2019, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) published its report on open banking and its implications for banks and banking supervision. The report builds on the BCBS’ previous findings on open banking and application programming interfaces (APIs) in its 2018 report (“Sound practices on the implications of FinTech developments for banks … Continue Reading
On 12 November 2019, at its 15th plenary meeting, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted final guidelines on the territorial scope of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (the guidelines) following public consultation. We have previously considered the draft guidelines on our blog. The first of the two blogs considered the extra-territorial scope of … Continue Reading
