On June 11, the French Minister for Digital Economy indicated during questioning by a French Member of Parliament about the status of the draft data protection regulation that the Minister of Justice had rejected, during the meeting of the European Council held last week, the latest version of the draft regulation.
Tag Archives: EU Data Protection Regulation
UK ICO Publicizes Concerns on Draft Data Protection Regulation
Concerned that the prescriptive nature of the proposed EU Data Protection Regulation will impose a significant additional administrative burden on regulators, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office as published on its website a letter to the Secretary of State for Justice which re-states the Information Commissioner’s concerns about the proposed Regulation.
New York Times and Hogan Lovells Report from Berlin on Data Protection
The New York Times reported on May 13 that U.S. companies showed up in force at the International Data Protection Day conference that day in Berlin. The Times article also mentioned the presence of Hogan Lovells at the conference. In addition to the heightened interest in data protection evidenced by U.S. business that is described in the NY Times, the Berlin conference showcased the continued sparring between the EU and the U.S. on the adequacy of U.S. privacy laws and also provided a comprehensive update on data protection developments worldwide. The topics for the day began with the proposed EU data protection regulation and ended with U.S. privacy and security enforcement, with numerous developments in other countries sandwiched in between.
Article 29 Working Party Issues Additional Guidance on BCRs for Data Processors
On April 19, the European Union’s Article 29 Working Party adopted Explanatory Document WP204 on processor Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs). Processor BCRs provide a new avenue for data controllers to transfer EU personal data to processors (such as cloud service providers) located in third countries not considered to ensure an adequate level of protection under the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive. The Article 29 Working Party, noting the success of controller BCRs and citing the “growing interest of industry in such a tool,” provided initial guidance on processor BCRs in June 2012 through Working Document WP195 (which we previously covered here). WP195 presented a “toolbox” that laid out the criteria for approval of processor BCRs, as well as explanatory notes on the content expected in the processor BCRs. As of January 1, 2013, the EU began accepting applications for approval of processor BCRs.
French CNIL Annual Report Shows Increased Complaints, Audits, Sanctions
On April 23, the French data protection authority, the CNIL (Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés), published its annual report for 2012, emphasizing a significant increase in complaints, audits, and sanctions. In this blog post, we review each of these topics addressed by the CNIL’s report.
Article 29 Working Party Gives New Guidance on the Principle of Purpose Limitation
The European Union’s Article 29 Data Protection Working Party (“WP29″), which consists of the 27 data protection authorities of the EU Member States, has published the “Opinion 03/2013 on purpose limitation” (Working Paper WP203), adopted on 2 April 2013 (the “Opinion”). The WP29 analyzes and interprets the elements of this principle, and gives numerous examples with [...]
Endorsements and Delays for Proposed Data Protection Regulation
The legislative process for the European Commission’s (EC’s) proposed Data Protection Regulation is heating up. The European Parliament’s lead committee on the EU’s draft Data Protection Regulation has received more than 3,000 proposed amendments to the reform measure. As a result, the committee has moved its vote on the Regulation from April to the end of May. Some of the 3,000 amendments were submitted last week by Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), which has adopted an opinion generally supporting the proposed Regulation. Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the EC and EU Justice Commissioner, said that JURI’s adoption of the proposed Regulation brings the EU “another step towards the swift adoption of modern data protection reform in Europe.” In an unrelated announcement, the French Minister of Justice stated that France “actively supports” the proposed Regulation, including its provision on the right to be forgotten. The Minister said that France will be vigilant that the Regulation will “not introduce a step backwards” from current French law.
German Court Holds Presence of Irish Subsidiary Precludes Application of German Data Protection Law to Facebook
In a decision with important implications not only for Facebook but potentially for many companies not primarily located in Europe but with European customers, on February 14 the Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgericht) for the German State Schleswig-Holstein decided that German data protection law is not applicable to U.S.-based Facebook Inc. as well as its European subsidiary, Facebook Ireland Ltd., [...]
European Parliament Committee Releases Proposed Amendments to Data Protection Regulation
Jan Albrecht, the rapporteur for the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, released a draft report last month with key proposals to amend the European Commission’s proposed Regulation on data protection. The report includes a total of 350 amendments to the original proposal. Highlights of the 215-page report include the following:
Recent ECJ Decision Embraces Targeting Theory of Jurisdiction
Last month, the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) issued a ruling on the scope of EU member states’ jurisdiction over internet services. In Football Dataco Ltd v. Sportradar GmbH, the ECJ considered a jurisdictional issue related to the Database Directive, but its opinion could have broader implications for how the EU considers [...]
Article 29 Working Party Issues BCR Guidelines for Data Processors
The Article 29 Working Party on 6 June 2012 adopted Working Paper WP 195 as a new “toolbox” with recommendations for Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs) for data processors.
EU Sets Timeline for Consideration of Data Protection Reform
Jan Philipp Albrecht, the rapporteur to the European Parliament for the proposed EU Data Protection Regulation, has set forth a draft calendar that indicates how long debate over the Regulation may last. It is anticipated that by summer 2013 the Regulation should be ready for trilogue with the Council and Commission, and that the Regulation shall be put to a vote in the plenary session of the European Parliament in early 2014.
Report from the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Board Privacy Program
On May 14, Hogan Lovells’ partner Chris Wolf moderated a panel discussion presented by the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee entitled, “New Internet Privacy Legislation: What the White House, Federal Trade Commission and the European Commission Are Recommending.” The FTC’s Maneehsa Mithal began the event with a brief overview of the FTC’s Commission Report on protecting consumer privacy, and the panelists, led by Mr. Wolf, engaged in a discussion about the FTC Report, the White House’s privacy white paper, and the proposed EU Data Protection Regulation.