Following the European Commission and European Parliament’s proposed versions of the EU Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications, we are now waiting for the Council of the European Union to agree their position before discussions between the three bodies can begin. A discussion paper from the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council dated 11 January 2018 shows that the Council is still considering multiple options in relation to several critical issues.
Nick Westbrook
Council e-Privacy Regulation Negotiations Critical for the Future of IoT and AdTech
ICO Turns Spotlight on Data Broker Industry
Data brokers are organisations that obtain data from a variety of sources and then sell or license it to third parties. Many trade in personal data, which is purchased by their customers for several purposes, most commonly to support marketing campaigns. The UK data protection regulator has for some time been actively enforcing against organisations who buy individuals’ personal data for direct marketing purposes without first conducting appropriate due diligence to ensure that those individuals have adequately consented to receiving marketing communications. However, in a recently issued monetary penalty notice, the ICO indicated that it may be shifting its enforcement strategy. This post discusses the latest developments.
New Notice and Consent Rules under Proposed EU e-Privacy Regulation
The European Commission has released its proposal for a new EU e-Privacy Regulation that will replace the existing e-Privacy Directive. The high level aim of the draft e-Privacy Regulation is to harmonise the specific privacy framework relating to electronic communications within the EU and ensure consistency with the GDPR. Compared to the existing Directive, the draft e-Privacy Regulation has broader territorial reach and applies generally to the provision of electronic communications services to end users in the EU and to the use of such services. It is also concerned with the protection information related to the devices of end users located in the EU.
European Commission Launches Public Consultation on the Evaluation and Review of the ePrivacy Directive
On 12 April 2016, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the ePrivacy Directive. Interested parties who wish to participate have until 5 July 2016 to submit responses to the Commission’s 33 questions.