On March 15, 2021, the Bavarian Supervisory Authority (SA)[1] issued a decision regarding the use of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) to transfer personal data from the EU to the U.S. without supplementary security measures. The SA found the data transfer to be unlawful in this case, although it did not impose an administrative fine. The SA’s findings could indicate how European regulators approach the use of SCCs post-Schrems II.
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privacy
Booking.com Fined EUR 475,000 for Failure to Timely Notify Dutch Supervisory Authority of Data Breach
The Dutch supervisory authority (the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens or AP) sanctioned the online travel booking platform, Booking.com BV (Booking), with a EUR 475,000 fine for failing to notify a data breach to the AP within 72 hours after becoming aware of it, as required by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The decision is available in Dutch here.
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Council of the EU Adopts Its Text on the ePrivacy Regulation
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.
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Virginia Legislature Sends Novel Privacy Law to Governor’s Desk
Virginia is poised to become the second U.S. state to enact broad consumer privacy legislation. While the legislation draws some parallels with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and upcoming California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA) introduces new requirements that go beyond these laws, such as opt-ins to collect sensitive data, opt-outs for targeted advertising, the creation of data protection assessments, and new provisions that must be included in service provider agreements.
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EDPB Clarifies Key Health Research Data Protection Rules
On February 2, 2021, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) issued guidance on the processing of personal data for research purposes in response to questions posed by the European Commission (Document). The Document aims to provide clarity on the application of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to scientific health research. In particular, the Document provides high-level guidance on pertinent issues such as consent for scientific research purposes, appropriate legal bases, and data repurposing.
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EDPB Publishes New Guidance for Data Breach Notification
On January 18, 2021, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), comprised of all national supervisory authorities (SAs) of the European Union, published draft guidelines for data breach notification1 (the Guidelines).
The Guidelines provide useful insight into how regulators apply the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) personal data breach notifications rules. Specifically, they describe six common types of personal data breaches (i.e., ransomware, data exfiltration attacks, internal human risk, lost or stolen device and paper documents, misposted data, and social engineering attacks), and offer 18 case studies. Through these case studies, the EDPB seeks to clarify organizations’ notification and remediation obligations.
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