On February 10, 2021, the Council of the European Union (EU) agreed on its version of the draft ePrivacy Regulation (Council Position). The long-awaited ePrivacy Regulation, which will repeal the existing ePrivacy Directive, overhauls the rules on cookies and regulates the use of and access to electronic communications data.
Continue Reading Council of the EU Adopts Its Text on the ePrivacy Regulation
On December 24, 2020, the European Commission (EC) and UK government announced the long-awaited EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (the Brexit Agreement), which sets out the future relations between the EU and the UK. If approved, the Brexit Agreement will become effective on January 1, 2021, and will have the following repercussions:
Continue Reading The Privacy Impact of the New Brexit Deal
On Monday September 7, 2020, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) issued draft Guidelines 8/2020 on the targeting of social media users (the “Draft Guidelines”). The Draft Guidelines have far-reaching implications for social media platforms, advertisers, and adtech companies, as they will result in a clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the key stakeholders, and establish rules for consent.
The Draft Guidelines are open for public consultation until October 19, 2020. Interested companies can submit their comments to the EDPB.
Continue Reading EDPB Issues Guidelines on Social Media Targeting Under GDPR
On July 16, 2020, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) declared the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework (Privacy Shield) invalid. The ECJ upheld the EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs), but ruled that companies must verify prior to any transfer using SCCs that the parties can effectively provide the level of protection required by EU law.
Continue Reading ECJ Invalidates EU-U.S. Privacy Shield and Upholds the Standard Contractual Clauses
On April 16, 2020, the European Commission (EC) published guidance (guidance) regarding mobile applications developed to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19 mobile apps). As previously mentioned in our blog posts, the guidance follows the EC recommendation last week on the same topic, and takes into account a prior consultation with the European Data Protection Board (EDPB).
The guidance expands on the legal bases for data processing identified in the EC’s consultation with the EDPB and highlights key data protection requirements for certain COVID-19 mobile apps.
Continue Reading The European Commission Publishes Guidance on COVID-19 Mobile Apps
On April 8, 2020, the European Commission (the Commission) released its recommendation for a pan-EU approach on the use of technology and data to combat the COVID-19 pandemic (the Recommendation).
The Commission calls for the creation of a “toolbox” consisting of practical measures taken at the EU level to address the use of mobile applications to inform individuals or monitor infected persons (COVID-19 mobile apps) and address the use of anonymized population data to analyze the evolution of the pandemic in the EU. While the Recommendation does not specify the measures to be included in the toolbox, it provides a roadmap to promote the harmonization of these measures across all EU member states.
Continue Reading European Commission Calls for a Common Approach to COVID-19 Apps and Anonymized Data Use