GDPR

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In 2018, data privacy and cyber breaches made headlines throughout the year.

Major companies continued to suffer data breaches, highlighting the risks and potential costs of cyber incidents across industries.  At the same time, a growing and overlapping thicket of data security and privacy regulations—within the U.S., European Union, Latin America, and elsewhere—continued to increase…

The European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”)[1] adopted its highly anticipated guidelines on the territorial scope of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (the “Guidelines”), which are currently open for public consultation until January 18, 2019.

The extraterritorial application of the GDPR to entities located in non-EU countries marks a significant shift in the legal framework compared to the GDPR’s predecessor (Directive 95/46/EC).

The GDPR’s extraterritorial scope is based on two main criteria described in its Article 3:

  • the “establishment” criterion, according to which the GDPR applies where processing of personal data is undertaken by a person in the context of the activities of an establishment in the European Union regardless of whether the processing takes place in the European Union or not, and
  • the “targeting” criterion, according to which the GDPR applies where processing activities conducted by a person established outside the European Union relate to the offering of goods or services or the monitoring of behavior of data subjects in the European Union.

As a result of these two criteria, businesses which did not previously need to consider the applicability of EU data protection law to their processing activities may now be caught within the GDPR’s territorial scope. The Guidelines  are intended to bring clarity to non-EU businesses doing business with the EU, either directly or through “establishments”, which must undertake a careful assessment of their data processing activities in order to determine whether the GDPR applies. The full text of the Guidelines can be accessed here and their key features are summarized below.
Continue Reading EDPB Publishes Draft Guidelines on the Territorial Scope of the GDPR

Knuddels GmbH & Co KG, a German social media app, has received the first administrative fine issued by a German supervisory authority under the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”).

The fine of € 20,000 has been levied on Knuddels by the Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information in Baden-Württemberg (one of 16 regional data protection authorities in Germany) following a hack reported by Knuddels in September which resulted in the personal data of approximately 330,000 users being stolen and subsequently published. Such personal data included users’ emails addresses and passwords.
Continue Reading First German Fine Issued Under the GDPR

The £16.4 million fine imposed by the UK Financial Conduct Authority on Tesco Personal Finance plc provides a salutary lesson on the regulatory exposure associated with failing adequately to prepare for and respond to a cyber-attack – one of the FCA’s stated regulatory priorities.

The episode illustrates how cybersecurity failures can expose a business not…

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has provided Facebook with a Notice of Intent to issue a monetary penalty against the social media platform for its lack of transparency and failure to maintain the security of its users’ personal data in relation to the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The ICO’s fine is the maximum possible under the Data Protection Act 1998 (the UK implementing legislation for the former EU data protection regime under the Data Protection Directive). Facebook will have the opportunity to make representations to the ICO before the ICO’s decision is finalised.
Continue Reading UK Data Protection Regulator Set to Levy Maximum Fine on Facebook in Cambridge Analytica Case

On the heels of the European Union’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and public outcry over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, on June 28, 2018, California enacted the most comprehensive data privacy law to date in the United States. The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (the “CCPA”) was hastily passed by the…

Tomorrow, May 25, the European Union’s (“E.U.’s”) sweeping and much-awaited data security and privacy regulation known as the General Data Protection Regulation, or “GDPR,” will come into force.  We have previously written a full analysis of the new requirements under the GDPR for companies subject to its jurisdiction.

Since the GDPR was formally approved in 2016, organizations around the world have devoted significant time and resources to preparing for the new law’s implementation.  But while tomorrow is a deadline, it is also a start date—for compliance efforts that will require ongoing attention and adjustments in the months and years ahead.  With this in mind, we have compiled the following tips and resources to aid companies in their ongoing efforts that will come after May 25:
Continue Reading GDPR Compliance: Tips for What Comes After May 25

The new mandatory personal data breach notification regime introduced by the GDPR should be a key area of focus for organizations seeking to put in place GDPR compliance programs.  Personal data breaches are not only increasingly frequent and on the front pages, they are also one of the most likely causes of complaints being made by individuals against an organization and most likely subjects of investigation by data protection authorities (“DPAs”).  Regardless of whether an organization is at fault in allowing a breach to occur, its response will materially affect the impact of the breach on data subjects, and therefore the potential consequences for the organization itself.  Personal data breach management – of which breach notification forms a large part – should therefore be a priority area in any organization’s compliance efforts, including with respect to the GDPR. 
Continue Reading Notification of data breaches under the GDPR – 10 Frequently Asked Questions

Since the adoption of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2016, considerable attention has focused on the vastly increased scope of potential administrative fines, and even more attention is being paid to the issue with the GDPR becoming effective on May 25, 2018.  In this post, we summarize the key fining provisions, and analyze the recent relevant guidance on this issue from the Article 29 Working Party (an advisory group consisting of representatives from national data protection authorities together with the European Commission).
Continue Reading Administrative Fines Under the GDPR