YouTube’s ad blocker detection technology is facing legal challenges from privacy advocates who claim it violates their privacy rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). According to the complaint, YouTube violates users’ privacy by using JavaScript-based detection scripts to look for specific HTML page elements rendered by a user’s browser. YouTube began rolling out

Readers of this blog know that we’ve been closely following the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) rulemaking process [view related post]. California passed the law in 2020 to update the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 with additional consumer rights and business obligations. The CPRA also established a new government agency, the California Privacy

When the U.K. withdrew from the European Union (EU), its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) status was one of many headaches for regulators to figure out. After drawn-out negotiations over points such as requiring opt-in or opt-out models, lawmakers had settled mainly on a GDPR-like solution called the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.

The

Ireland’s Data Privacy Commissioner will reportedly fine Instagram for its handling of children’s data. According to an investigation that began in 2020, Instagram published emails and phone numbers for children ages 13 to 17 who operated business accounts. Business accounts typically post this information by default. Meta, Instagram’s parent, plans to appeal the €405 million

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) first launched the concept of data minimization, which states that a data controller should limit the collection of personal information to what is directly relevant and necessary to accomplish a specified purpose. This seems like a simple concept: an entity should only collect personal information that is

Last month, the French data protection authority (the CNIL) issued initial guidance addressing issues that applications utilizing blockchain technology should consider in order to comply with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

As recognized by the CNIL, there are certain natural conflicts between GDPR and blockchain technology. A critical feature of the blockchain is its immutability – the fact that once information is entered into the public ledger regarding a transaction, that information cannot be changed or removed from the ledger. The benefits of providing a transparent and permanent public ledger will have to be reconciled with the data subject rights granted by GDPR, including the right to be forgotten and principles of data minimization. Blockchain applications also raise thorny questions about whether participants in the network are acting as data controllers or processors, subject to the GDPR’s requirements. Additionally, how can a worldwide network of computers involved in data processing activities comply with GDPR requirements related to cross-border data transfers outside of the EU?
Continue Reading French Data Protection Authority Issues Guidance on Interaction of Blockchain Technology with GDPR

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, recently delivered the keynote address for a privacy conference, attended by policy experts and European Union (EU) lawmakers in Brussels, Belgium, where he advocated for new data privacy laws in the United States, similar to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Cook said that modern technology has led to the creation of a “data-industrial complex” in which personal data is “weaponized against us with military efficiency.” According to Cook, this problem doesn’t just affect individuals, but whole societies.
Continue Reading Apple CEO Calls for Comprehensive US Privacy Laws

On June 28, 2018, the California State Legislature passed, and Governor Jerry Brown signed, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, bringing to the United States many of the rights and compliance obligations currently being applied by the European Union through its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Effective January 1, 2020, the Act gives California

Last week, the High Court of Ireland submitted eleven questions to the Court of Justice for the European Union (CJEU) to consider about the personal data transfer regime between the European Union (EU) and the United States. This referral stems from a new claim by Max Schrems, an Austrian lawyer and privacy activist. Schrems previously

All privacy professionals, whether in the EU or the U.S., need to have an understanding of the implications of General Data Privacy Regulation (GDPR) compliance, particularly since the fines and penalties that could be imposed for non-compliance are intimidating. GDPR goes into effect on May 25, 2018, and many companies are struggling to become compliant