The sky has not fallen. The Internet has not stopped working. The multi-million euro fines have not happened (yet). It was always going to be this way. A year has gone by since the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (‘GDPR’) became effective and the digital economy is still going and growing. The effect of the GDPR has been noticeable, but in a subtle sort of way. However, it would be hugely mistaken to think that the GDPR was just a fad or a failed attempt at helping privacy and data protection survive the 21st century. The true effect of the GDPR has yet to be felt as the work to overcome its regulatory challenges has barely begun. So what are the important areas of focus to achieve GDPR compliance?
Tag Archives: International data transfers
Insights from EU Data Protection Regulators – Update from Munich
The IAPP conference in Munich on 19 September 2018 provided important insights into the work and views of the European Data Protection Board. Isabelle Vereecken and Bas Van Bockel addressed key topics such as data protection impact assessments, international data transfers and the one-stop-shop principle.
Privacy and Cybersecurity November 2017 Events
Please join us for our November 2017 Privacy and Cybersecurity Events.
German DPAs Launch Enquiry into International Data Transfers
500 German companies will be asked in the coming weeks by 10 German data protection authorities to complete an extensive and detailed questionnaire about their transfers of personal data to third countries. Companies must indicate how they ensure an adequate level of data protection for such data transfers. The questionnaire also covers the use of cloud services provided by U.S. entities. The enquiry and the questionnaire (but not the list of targeted companies) were published by the German DPAs on 3 November 2016.
Privacy and Cybersecurity October 2016 Events
Please join us for our October 2016 Privacy and Cybersecurity Events.
REMINDER: Upcoming Webinar: Privacy Shield: What You Need to Know
The much anticipated Privacy Shield framework for the transfer of data between the EU and U.S. received final approval from the European Commission on 12 July 2016. With this important data transfer mechanism available to companies at the beginning of August, the Hogan Lovells Privacy and Cybersecurity team will answer your questions in a webinar next Wednesday, 27 July. CLE credit will be available.
EU Data Transfers to the U.S.: Considering Your Options after Privacy Shield
With the recent approval of the EU-US Privacy Shield framework and the ability to start filing online registrations on 1 August, many companies have questions about the advantages and disadvantages of Privacy Shield as compared to other cross-border transfer mechanisms to cover trans-Atlantic data flows.
To answer your questions, we publish here International Data Transfers – Considering your options, a high-level analysis of the EU cross-border transfer options for companies—including the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, Intra-Group Agreements and other ad-hoc contracts, Binding Corporate Rules, Privacy Shield, and Consent—and the pros and cons of choosing each one.
International Data Transfers – The Uncertainty Continues
Following the announcement by the European Commission of the newly agreed EU-US Privacy Shield, the missing piece of the jigsaw was the Article 29 Working Party’s stance on the adequacy of the existing mechanisms in place—in particular, standard contractual clauses and binding corporate rules. So after two days of intense discussions, the Working Party has issued a statement with its latest position, which is the follow up to their original reaction to the invalidation of Safe Harbor last October. The bottom line: the Working Party still does not view US government surveillance laws as sufficiently protective of privacy—a position which calls all transfers of personal data to the US in question, regardless of the methods used to legitimise the transfer—but they will reconsider this position in light of the Privacy Shield in the coming months.
Safe Harbor Aftermath – Never a Reason to Panic
It’s close to 7pm on a Friday evening and my team are trying their best to manage our clients’ stress and frantic desperation. Jokes about how much they love Max Schrems are shared by email. In the meantime, we are diligently working our way through endless charts of dataflows and attempting to cover every single […]
Why Europe’s New Privacy Reg is a Business-Critical Issue
It has finally happened. Like that train you are waiting for that keeps getting delayed but eventually arrives. The all-powerful trio comprising the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission arrived at their destination after a journey of four years, and on December 15th, 2015, agreed the final text of the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Once formally adopted in the coming weeks, the GDPR will create a completely new legal framework for the collection, use and sharing of personal information that will apply well beyond Europe.