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
“Reject All” button in cookie consent banners – An update from the UK and the EU
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
The UK Information Commissioner’s Data Protection Practioner’s Conference 2023 on Cybersecurity
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
DRCF to launch AI and Digital Hub regulatory advice pilot in 2024
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
UK government announces a UK data bridge with the US
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
DSIT publishes draft amendments to the UK GDPR and DPA 2018
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 Entangled Web of Deceptive Design: ICO and CMA Investigate Harmful Website Practices
On 9 August 2023, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published a joint position paper on Harmful Design in Digital Markets (Harmful Designs Paper) that urges businesses to stop using harmful website designs that exploit customers by encouraging them to provide more personal data than necessary. The regulators are
Get your Update on IT & Data Protection Law in our Germany Newsletter (Summer 2023 Edition)
The Summer 2023 Edition of the quarterly IT & Data Protection Newsletter by Reed Smith Germany has just been released:
English version
German versionContinue Reading Get your Update on IT & Data Protection Law in our Germany Newsletter (Summer 2023 Edition)
ECJ Allows National Competition Authorities to Consider Non-Competition Law Violations in Dominance Abuse Cases
Please click here to access the source post from our Global Regulatory Enforcement Law Blog.
In this blog, the authors delve into a significant decision by the German Federal Cartel Office (FCO) four years ago, accusing a major technology company of abusive behavior due to alleged violations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Recently
Three lessons from ICO’s quarterly enforcement report
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has published a report on reprimands issued in the second quarter of the year, from April to June 2023. The recent reprimands by ICO shed light on areas of data protection where organizations across the public and private sectors have fallen foul of the UK GDPR and are instructive as to how organisations can improve their practices. Our blog focuses on three key lessons gleaned from these reprimands.Continue Reading Three lessons from ICO’s quarterly enforcement report