After Germany became the last EU member state to transpose Article 5(3) of the Directive 2002/58/EC, amended by Directive 2009/136/EC (ePrivacy Directive) into national law, the use of cookies in the EU must meet one of the following requirements: The user’s consent, or The cookie must be strictly necessary in order to provide the service … Continue Reading
The Spring 2021 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: New cookie rules in Germany will apply as of December 1, 2021 German data protection authorities conduct coordinated audits on international data transfers … Continue Reading
Catch up on our Tech Law Talks podcast series for practical observations on technology and data legal trends. We cover product and technology development to operational and compliance issues that technology practitioners encounter every day. On this channel, we host regular discussions about the legal and business issues around data protection, privacy and security; data risk … Continue Reading
The German Federal Cabinet adopted the Telecommunications and Telemedia Data Protection Act (Telekommunikation-Telemedien-Datenschutzgesetz – TTDSG, available here) on February 10, 2021. The TTDSG, among other things, provides new rules on cookies and similar technologies (Cookies), introducing only two categories of Cookies: (1) strictly necessary Cookies and (2) consent-based Cookies. The legal basis of legitimate interests … Continue Reading
The Winter 2021 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: Strengthening fair competition – changes to the law against unfair competition Cologne Regional Court on the broad concept of the right to access … Continue Reading
The French data protection authority (CNIL) rendered three major decisions impacting worldwide online service providers following online controls and investigations performed on the companies’ websites. These decisions highlight the obligations of data controllers when using cookies and other trackers, notably regarding the way the user’s consent shall be collected, and the level of information that … Continue Reading
The Summer 2020 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: Access rights vs. data backup Cookie update: Planet49 and cookie walls Double opt-in required under GDPR Update on influencer advertisement German Supreme Court: … Continue Reading
On 4 May 2020, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted an updated set of guidelines on consent (Guidelines) under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These updates were made to the original guidelines published by the Article 29 Working Party on 10 April 2018, which the EDPB endorsed at its first plenary meeting on … Continue Reading
The Data & Marketing Association and the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers have published a “Seven-Step Ad Tech Guide” (the Guide) to help address the privacy challenges of Real Time Bidding (RTB) in programmatic advertising. RTB is an automated auction process that allows advertising space to be bought and sold on a per-impression basis. When … Continue Reading
Companies have been challenged with respect to their cookie policies and their implementation due to the entry into force of the GDPR earlier than the proposed ePrivacy Regulation Given the delay in the adoption of an EU-wide regulation on e-privacy, national data protection authorities have taken the initiative in publishing guidelines on cookies requirements. The … 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
The Finnish presidency of the Council of the EU (Finnish Presidency) released an updated draft of the Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications (ePrivacy Regulation) on October 30, 2019 (available here). The Working Party on Telecommunications and Information Society (WP TELE) will discuss the new draft at its meeting on November 7, 2019. Amendments put … Continue Reading
In its judgment of 1 October 2019, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decided on cookie consent requirements under the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679/EU (GDPR) and the Cookie Directive 2002/58/EC (Cookie Directive) (Case C-673/17, Planet49 GmbH v. Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände – Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V. (the Judgment)). The ECJ set clear requirements on what cookie … Continue Reading
In its response dated 3 July 2019 (Response; file no. 19/11351, available in German here) to an inquiry by members of the German parliament (Inquiry), the German government took stand on the current draft Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications (ePrivacy Regulation), and particularly on “tracking”. The German government summarises its assessment of the ePrivacy … Continue Reading
On July 3, 2019 the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published an updated guidance on the use of cookies. Although the guidance confirms requirements of which most data practitioners already comply, it outlines steps for non-compliant companies. Now that the ICO has confirmed its regulatory expectations and detailed immediate enforcement, companies need to take action to … Continue Reading
On June 20, 2019 the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published an Update Report on real-time bidding (RTB). Following the recent GDPR one-year anniversary of implementation, the ICO has made adtech a focus for the upcoming year. Although RTB has not been made obsolete, the report denotes all current RTB practices as non-compliant with the GDPR, … Continue Reading
The Spring 2019 Edition of the quarterly IT & Data Protection Newsletter by Reed Smith Germany has just been released. We provide updates on cookies and tracking tools, Facebook fan pages, fines under GDPR, influencer marketing, email encryption, platform provider obligations, framing, the new German Trade Secrets Act, and more. The newsletter also includes multiple … Continue Reading
With all the focus on Brexit and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), there has not been much published about the draft e-Privacy regulation recently. Readers will remember that there had been plans to implement this companion legislation (which covers specific issues regarding cookies and direct marketing among other things), at the same time as … Continue Reading
On 21 March 2019, Advocate General Maciej Szpunar (“AG”) delivered an opinion on cookie consent, information obligations regarding cookies and consent bundling (Case C-673/17, Planet49 GmbH v. Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände – Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e.V.). In the case at issue, users entering into a promotional lottery were confronted with two checkboxes: A checkbox obtaining … Continue Reading
The Bavarian Data Protection Authority (‘Bavarian DPA’) audited major Bavarian websites for their use of tracking tools on Safer Internet Day. It calls its findings “desolate”. None of the tracking tools were implemented in a compliant manner. Audit by the Bavarian DPA Tracking and the requirements for using cookies have been a highly debated topic … Continue Reading
It has been reported that the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued the US-based Washington Post newspaper with a warning about how it obtains consent for cookies from website visitors. According to a report in The Register, the ICO stated that the Washington Post’s online subscription options do not allow users to opt out of … Continue Reading
The Summer 2018 Edition of the quarterly IT & Data Protection Newsletter by Reed Smith Germany has just been released. We provide updates on Facebook fan pages, cookie consent, influencer marketing, liability of platform providers, framing and more. The newsletter also includes multiple recommended reads on the GDPR. We hope you enjoy reading it.… 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 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
