Virginia may be the first state to follow California’s lead on consumer privacy legislation, but it certainly will not be the last. The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) observed, “State-Level momentum for comprehensive privacy bills is at an all-time high.” The IAPP maintains a map of state consumer privacy legislative activity, with in-depth analysis comparing key provisions. … Continue Reading
A new report released by Global Market Insights, Inc. last month estimates that the global market valuation for voice recognition technology will reach approximately $7 billion by 2026, in main part due to the surge of AI and machine learning across a wide array of devices including smartphones, healthcare apps, banking apps and connected cars, … Continue Reading
Businesses are now prohibited from transferring employee personal data from the European Economic Area (EEA) to the U.S. under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield program. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) declared the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield invalid in Data Protection Commissioner v. Facebook Ireland and Schrems (C-311/18) (Schrems II), effective immediately. Businesses that … Continue Reading
On July 16, 2020, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) published its decision in the matter of Data Protection Commissioner v. Facebook Ireland and Maximillian Schrems (“Schrems II”). The matter, arising from the transfer of Schrems’ personal data by Facebook Ireland to Facebook Inc. in the United States, presented questions concerning the … Continue Reading
Some business leaders and HR professionals may be waking up this morning not realizing they must provide a “Notice at Collection” to some or all of their employees and applicants under the new California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). This is not surprising given the confusion during 2019 about whether this law would reach that far. The … Continue Reading
After years of data breaches, mass data collection, identity theft crimes, and failed attempts at broad-based federal legislation, 2020 may be the year that state privacy and data security legislation begins to take hold in the U.S. For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and the New York Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data … Continue Reading
The GDPR is wrapping up its first year and moving full steam ahead. This principles-based regulation has had a global impact on organizations as well as individuals. While there continue to be many questions about its application and scope, anticipated European Data Protection Board guidance and Data Protection Authority enforcement activity should provide further clarity … Continue Reading
On April 17th, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed the highly anticipated U.S. v. Microsoft, ruling that recently enacted legislation rendered the case moot. Microsoft Corp. had been in litigation with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for several years over the issue of whether Microsoft must comply with a U.S. search warrant for access to … Continue Reading
The deadline to comply with the GDPR’s complex and far ranging requirements is rapidly approaching. As your organization races to implement its compliance program before the May 25, 2018 effective date, questions and concerns are likely to arise. While there is no shortage of online guidance on the GDPR, finding answers to your specific questions … Continue Reading
The implementation of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), with an effective date of May 25, 2018, is just around the corner, and with it will come pressure on the human resources (HR) department to update its approach to handling employee data. The GDPR significantly enhances employee rights in respect to control over … Continue Reading
The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is fast approaching and U.S. organizations that control or process personal data of EU residents are likely subject to these new data protection requirements. Now is the time for U.S. employers to determine whether they are covered by the GDPR (see our blog post, Does the GDPR Apply to … Continue Reading
U.S. Customs searches have become increasingly invasive over the years. Pursuant to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operates under the “broad search exception”, which allows searches and seizures at international borders or an equivalent (e.g. international airports) without probable cause or a warrant. CBP’s searches are deemed “reasonable” … Continue Reading
The United Kingdom High Court recently issued a landmark liability judgment against the supermarket, Morrisons, following a data breach caused by a rogue employee (Various Claimants v. WM Morrisons Supermarket [2017] EWHC3113 (QB]). Similar results have been reached in the U.S., but this is the first time the UK Court has addressed the issue of whether … Continue Reading
With the continuing parade of high profile data security breaches, the concern U.S. organizations have about the security of their systems and data has been steadily growing. And rightly so. Almost every organization processes (collects, uses, stores, or transmits) individually identifiable data. Much of this data is personal data, including employee data, which brings heightened … Continue Reading
If you’ve been following the headlines, you know that a day doesn’t pass without a reference to the “GDPR”. On May 25, 2018, the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will take effect, marking the most significant change to European data privacy and security in over 20 years. Most multinational companies, and of … Continue Reading
The European Commission recently issued an overall positive review in its first annual report on the E.U. – U.S. Privacy Shield (“Privacy Shield”), after evaluating the Privacy Shield in its joint review with the US last month. The Privacy Shield took effect in August 2016 replacing the EU – US Safeharbor that was invalidated by … Continue Reading
We are proud to once again announce that the Workplace Privacy Report has been nominated for The Expert Institute’s Best Legal Blog Competition. From a field of thousands of nominees, the Workplace Privacy Report has received enough nominations to join one of the largest competitions for legal blog writing online today. If you enjoy the Workplace … Continue Reading
As you likely know by now, international cybercriminals launched a worldwide ransomware attack last Friday with the European law enforcement agency Europol reporting over 100,000 affected organizations in 150 countries, including the U.S. Reports indicate that health care providers, universities, and other large companies were all targeted. The Department of Health and Human Services also … Continue Reading
In honor of Data Privacy Day, we provide the following “Top 10 for 2017.” While the list is by no means exhaustive, it does provide some hot topics for organizations to consider in 2017. 1. Phishing Attacks and Ransomware – Phishing, as the name implies, is the attempt, usually via email, to obtain sensitive or personal … Continue Reading
In a decision that could have significant impact for online companies that have European operations, the European Union’s (EU) top court ruled that Internet Protocol addresses (IP addresses) could, under certain circumstances, constitute protected data under EU data protection law (Breyer v. Bundesrepublik Deutschland, E.C.J., No. C-582/14, 10/19/16). As most of us know, the IP … Continue Reading
Last month, the European Union and U.S. officials announced final approval of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield (Privacy Shield), replacing the Safe Harbor which was invalidated by the Court of Justice of the European Union in October 2015. Like it predecessor, the Privacy Shield will allow organizations based in the United States to self-certify compliance with the Privacy … Continue Reading
Earlier today the European Union and U.S. officials announced the final approval of the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield data transfer agreement (“the Privacy Shield”). Beginning August 1, 2016, organizations based in the U.S. will be able to self-certify their compliance with the Privacy Shield. The Privacy Shield is meant to replace the EU-U.S. Safe Harbour agreement … Continue Reading
According to reports, the European Union and the United States have agreed on changes to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield (Privacy Shield) which will be sent to the EU member states and the college of the 28 EU commissioners ultimately paving the way for final approval early next month. “We have agreed on the changes and will … Continue Reading
Earlier today, the European Parliament passed a non-legislative resolution saying the EU Commission should go back to negotiating with the United States to remedy “deficiencies” in the proposed EU-U.S. Privacy Shield for EU citizens’ data which is transferred to the US for commercial purposes. The resolution, which passed by a vote of 501-119, with 31 … Continue Reading
