On January 27, 2023, the California Attorney General (California AG) Rob Bonta announced an “investigative sweep” of mobile apps in retail, travel, and food service industries for failing to provide a mechanism for—or honor—consumers’ opt-out
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The CNIL Announces Its 2019-2020 Action Plan on Ad Targeting




On June 28, 2019, the French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) released its 2019-2020 action plan on ad targeting (action plan);1 among other things, the CNIL announced that it will issue new cookie guidance later this month and that, once the guidance is published, companies will have a 12-month grace period to come into compliance.
Background
When the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became effective on May 25, 2018, it imposed stricter conditions for obtaining valid consent to process personal data. In short, consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. Individuals must also be able to withdraw their consent at any time. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) issued guidelines to further clarify the “do’s and don’ts” for obtaining valid consent (consent guidelines), including that scrolling down or swiping through a website is not enough to obtain valid consent. Rather, consent must be obtained via a clear and affirmative action, such as clicking on an “I agree” button.Continue Reading The CNIL Announces Its 2019-2020 Action Plan on Ad Targeting
The ICO Publishes Its Stance on Adtech and Real-Time Bidding
On June 20, 2019, the UK’s Data Protection Authority (ICO) published a report on adtech and real-time bidding. The report highlights the main problems faced by the industry when applying the General Data Protection Regulation’s (GDPR’s) stringent requirements, and calls for further engagement on these issues by the different adtech players in the space.
Background
When the GDPR became effective on May 25, 2018, it imposed new and strict obligations on companies processing personal data. In the UK, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), which implements the EU e-Privacy Directive and will soon be replaced by the e-Privacy Regulation, complements the GDPR requirements. Both the GDPR and PECR govern how data is collected and further processed in the online advertising industry, including requiring notice and a legal basis for processing. The PECR specifically applies to the use of cookies and similar technologies and sets out the rules for consent to use these technologies.Continue Reading The ICO Publishes Its Stance on Adtech and Real-Time Bidding