Recent cases have highlighted the continued tensions between the GDPR and U.S. demands for discovery in the context of U.S. litigation and investigations. This issue can present a real concern for companies operating on both sides of the pond seeking to comply with obligations on either side. Whilst the GDPR provides EU citizens with valuable … Continue Reading
On 26 May 2020, the German Data Protection Authorities (German DPAs) issued guidelines on measures to protect personal data transferred via email (Guidelines; available in Germen here). The Guidelines outline requirements for procedures to send and receive emails that must be met by data controllers, data processors and public email service providers (Email Service Providers) … Continue Reading
On 25 May 2020, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) issued its opinions on draft decisions of certain national supervisory authorities on certification and code of conduct monitoring bodies’ accreditation requirements. This includes opinions on the draft decisions from supervisory authorities in: Finland, Germany, Ireland, and Italy, on the approval of the requirements for accreditation … Continue Reading
On 28 April 2020, the Belgian data protection authority (DPA) fined a company €50,000 for having appointed its head of compliance, risk and audit as its data protection officer (DPO). The DPA’s decision is only available in Dutch (here) and in French (here). What was the breach? The reason for the fine was not that the DPO had … Continue Reading
A Dutch court has held that a grandmother was in breach of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for posting pictures of her grandchildren on social media platforms without their parents’ consent and refusing to delete them after multiple requests. The GDPR does not apply to the processing of personal data by an individual “in … Continue Reading
The current outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is causing the world to struggle. It is clear that coronavirus is a threat to all human beings. It has also become clear that coronavirus is a threat to the health of the world economy and businesses. On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) characterized the … Continue Reading
Since coming into effect in 2014, Singapore’s personal data protection law has been active enforcing the law since its passing. The law applies to all organizations operating in Singapore, regardless of their size and the nature of their business. Companies that employ personnel in Singapore must take note of how Singapore data protection law applies … Continue Reading
Modern businesses have a more global reach than ever before. Technology has fundamentally changed the way employees work, communicate and collaborate. While global connectivity offers businesses opportunities, it also creates substantial challenges when it comes to archiving communications. Earlier this month, we co-hosted a thought leadership event in New York City with Smarsh, a multinational … Continue Reading
A trio of consumer data privacy bills modeled after Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been introduced in the Wisconsin State Assembly. The three bills, collectively dubbed the Wisconsin Data Privacy Act (WDPA), were sponsored by Republican State Representative Shannon Zimmerman, who is seeking to make Wisconsin “the most consumer-friendly state in our nation … 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
Following the UK Conservatives Party’s landslide victory in December 2019, there were immediate implications for the UK’s Withdrawal from the European Union, which resulted in the UK withdrawing from the EU on 31 January 2020. With the European Parliament’s approval of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK is now in a transition period until 31 December … 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
Background On October 23, 2019, the European Commission (EC) released its report on a third annual review of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. While the report confirms that the U.S. continues to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data transfers in the context of the Privacy Shield, there are some gaps between the expectations … 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
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
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
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
The Lower Saxony Data Protection Authority (Lower Saxony DPA) has audited 50 large and medium-sized organizations on their implementation of the requirements of the GDPR since June 2018. On November 5, 2019, the Lower Saxony DPA released a report summarizing its findings (Report; available in German here). Summary of findings in the Report We previously reported … Continue Reading
In March 2019, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) released a Call for Input on developing the ICO’s framework for artificial intelligence (AI). The ICO simultaneously launched its AI Auditing Framework blog to provide updates on the development of the framework and encourage organisations to engage on this topic with the ICO. On 23 October 2019, … Continue Reading
On 15 October 2019, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) released the latest in its series of blogs on developing its framework for auditing artificial intelligence (AI). The blog (here) focuses on AI systems and how data subjects can exercise their rights of access, rectification and erasure in relation to such systems. Below, we summarise some … Continue Reading
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has prompted a series of legislative proposals in Latin American countries to update data protection regulations, many of which reflect the higher standards of the GDPR. With a large number of European and U.S. companies operating in the region, we look at some of the latest developments below. Argentina … Continue Reading
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) met for its fourteenth plenary session on 8 and 9 October 2019. One of the key developments was the adoption of the final version of its guidelines on the contractual lawful basis for the processing of personal data in the context of online services under Article 6(1)(b) of the … Continue Reading
After a month of rumors, uncertainty, and German data protection authorities being nontransparent, the German conference of data protection authorities (Datenschutzkonferenz, DSK) published the concept for calculating administrative fines for data protection violations (Concept, available here) on October 16, 2019. The Concept sets out a standardized approach regarding the calculation of administrative fines in accordance … Continue Reading
