The recent omnibus foreign relations package signed by President Biden on April 24, 2024, includes the Protecting Americans’ Data from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 (the Act), a set of sweeping privacy provisions prohibiting data brokers from sharing sensitive personal information with a broad range of entities that may have ties to Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will enforce these prohibitions and have the ability to seek civil penalties for violations. The provision takes effect 60 days after the date of enactment of the Act.Continue Reading New Federal Data Broker Restrictions Signed into Law
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EU’s Top Court Rules That Competition Authorities Can Consider Data Protection Breaches in Their Investigations
In a landmark judgment issued on July 4, 2023, the European top court, the Court of Justice (ECJ), ruled that competition authorities in the EU can consider a company’s compliance with the EU’s data protection rules when assessing whether it abused its dominant position. In addition, the ECJ ruled on important General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) clarifications on the legal bases for personalized advertising.
The judgment sets out how competition agencies should cooperate with data protection agencies when conducting competition investigations involving the consideration of whether a company’s data collection and processing practices comply with EU data protection rules.Continue Reading EU’s Top Court Rules That Competition Authorities Can Consider Data Protection Breaches in Their Investigations
UK and U.S. Commit to Establish a “Data Bridge” to Facilitate the Free Flow of Personal Data
On June 8, 2023, the UK and the U.S. governments issued a joint statement announcing that they had committed in principle to the establishment of a “UK Extension to the Data Privacy Framework,” which would facilitate flows of personal data between the two countries (the “Data Bridge”).Continue Reading UK and U.S. Commit to Establish a “Data Bridge” to Facilitate the Free Flow of Personal Data
EU Court Opinion: Competition Authorities May Consider Data Protection Breaches in Their Investigations
On September 20, 2022, an adviser to the EU’s top court opined that competition authorities may consider a company’s compliance with the EU’s data protection rules as part of an abuse of dominance investigation.
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Continue Reading EU Court Opinion: Competition Authorities May Consider Data Protection Breaches in Their InvestigationsData Brokers Must Register with California Attorney General by January 31
Given Broad Definitions, the Law Could Apply to Businesses That Do Not Consider Themselves Data Brokers
While amending the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) last term, the California legislature also passed a CCPA-related privacy bill that applies to “data brokers.” Assembly Bill 1202 (AB 1202) requires businesses that qualify as data brokers to register, pay a fee, and provide certain information to the California attorney general. Because AB 1202 relies on the CCPA’s broad definitions of “sell” and “personal information,” many businesses that might not otherwise consider themselves to be data brokers may fall within the data broker definition.
Continue Reading Data Brokers Must Register with California Attorney General by January 31
Greece Publishes Draft Legislation for Implementing GDPR
On August 12, 2019, the Greek Ministry of Justice published the long-awaited, draft legislation for implementing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Greece and Slovenia are the only two European Union (EU) countries that have not yet implemented the GDPR.
As an EU regulation, the GDPR has legally taken effect in every EU country, including Greece. In fact, the Greek Supervisory Authority recently imposed a 150,000EUR fine on a company for GDPR violations. However, the GDPR allows EU countries to adopt certain derogations, specifications, and exceptions through their implementing legislation. The draft, inter alia, does this through the following provisions:
- Age of Consent
The draft requires that a minor over 15 years old (and up to 18 years old) must consent to the processing of his/her personal data for the processing to be lawful. When a minor is under 15 years old, the minor’s legal guardian must consent.Continue Reading Greece Publishes Draft Legislation for Implementing GDPR
Federal Court Allows Children’s Online Privacy Claims Against Disney, Viacom, and Online Ad Networks That Collected Data from Gaming Apps to Go Forward
On May 22, 2019, a federal district court largely denied a facial challenge by Disney, Viacom, and several online advertising networks to claims alleging these defendants violated the privacy rights of children by collecting data through online gaming apps.
In McDonald v. Kiloo APS,[1] the defendants consisted of two groups: the developers who created the gaming apps and made them available for download, and the mobile advertising and app monetization companies who provided software code inserted into the gaming apps to collect user data for advertising purposes. The defendants allegedly collected a variety of data from the children’s devices without appropriate consent, including the IP address; the specific device name; IDs for Apple and Android devices; the device’s International Mobile Equipment Identity; the timestamp at which an advertising event was recorded; and device fingerprint data (the user’s language, time zone, country, and mobile network).Continue Reading Federal Court Allows Children’s Online Privacy Claims Against Disney, Viacom, and Online Ad Networks That Collected Data from Gaming Apps to Go Forward