On May 18, 2020, the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”) released its Annual Report (the “Report”) providing details of the EDPB’s work in 2019. This included publication of guidelines, binding decisions and general guidance on the interpretation of EU data protection law.

Continue Reading EDPB Releases 2019 Annual Report

On May 14, 2020 Democrats in both the House and Senate introduced the Public Health Emergency Privacy Act (“the Act”). In the House, the Act was sponsored by Representatives Jan Schakowsky (IL), Anna Eshoo (CA) and Suzan DelBene (WA), and in the Senate was sponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (CT) and Mark Warner (VA). Similar to the recently-introduced COVID-19 Consumer Data Protection Act of 2020, the Act would put temporary rules in place regarding the collection, use and disclosure of emergency health data used to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The rules imposed by the Act would only apply during the course of the Public Health Emergency as declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) and would only apply to specific uses of certain personal data.

Continue Reading Democrats in House and Senate Introduce Public Health Emergency Privacy Act

Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication recently introduced a new draft of Pakistan’s Personal Data Protection Bill, 2020 (the “Bill”) and launched a public consultation regarding the same. The public consultation period will end on May 15, 2020. The Bill, which applies to “any person who processes” or “has control over or authorizes the processing of” any personal data, if the data subject, the controller or processor are located in Pakistan, would establish certain requirements and restrictions related to the processing of personal data, as well as penalties for violating the law. In addition, under the Bill, the federal government would, within six months of coming into force, establish a Personal Data Protection Authority of Pakistan with rulemaking authority to enforce the act.

Continue Reading Pakistan Introduces New Draft of Personal Data Protection Bill

The Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) has announced via its Twitter feed that it will deliver its judgement in the Schrems II case (case C-311/18) on July 16, 2020. This judgement will determine the validity of the Standard Contractual Clauses (“SCCs” or Model Clauses) as a transfer mechanism under the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). SCCs are relied on by many global companies, including Facebook and Microsoft, for international transfers of EU personal data.

Continue Reading CJEU to Deliver Judgement on Validity of Standard Contractual Clauses on July 16, 2020

In a “Ten Years Hence” speaker series hosted by the University of Notre Dame, Lisa Sotto, Chair of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s global Privacy and Cybersecurity practice, highlights why privacy and cybersecurity will remain relevant issues now and for decades to come in a lecture on Privacy and Cybersecurity: The New Frontier.

Continue Reading Lisa Sotto Speaks on the New Frontier of Privacy

The Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, the “Dutch DPA”) recently imposed a €750,000 fine on a company for unlawful processing of employees’ fingerprints for attendance taking and time registration purposes.

Continue Reading Dutch DPA Fines Company 750,000 Euros for Unlawful Employee Fingerprint Processing

On May 7, 2020, the French Data Protection Authority (the “CNIL”) updated its previous guidance for employers relating to the processing of employee and visitor personal data in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak, in particular, in the context of lifting containment measures (the “Updated Guidance”). Some employers may consider implementing systematic body temperature checks at the entrance to their premises. Similarly, employers may wish to assess employees’ exposure to the virus or their health statuses when they return to work. The Updated Guidance analyzes some of these practices and outlines the principles applicable to data processing activities.

Continue Reading CNIL Updates Data Protection Guidance for Employers in the Context of Lifting COVID-19 Containment Measures

Join us on May 19, 2020, for an in-depth webinar on the Key Privacy Considerations for Reopening Businesses in the EU. Our featured speakers, Hunton Brussels lawyers Claire François and Laura Léonard, will highlight key data protection issues that arise in connection with the measures employers may take to limit or prevent the spread of COVID-19, including:

  • The types of health information that may be collected from employees and visitors;
  • Measures to consider when processing that information; and
  • Whether and how to conduct temperature checks.

Update: View the recording of this program.

On May 1, 2020, the White House issued an executive order on securing the United States bulk-power system (the “Order”), finding that foreign adversaries are creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in the U.S. bulk-power system (“BPS”) and determining that unrestricted foreign supply of BPS equipment constitutes an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to national security. The Order imposes restrictions on certain transactions involving BPS equipment in which foreign adversaries of the United States have an interest.

Continue Reading White House Issues Executive Order on Securing the U.S. Bulk-Power System

On May 6, 2020, the European Data Protection Board (the “EDPB”) published its Guidelines 05/2020 (the “EDPB Guidelines”) on consent under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”). The EDPB Guidelines are a slightly updated version of the Article 29 Working Party’s Guidelines on consent under the GDPR (the WP29 Guidelines), which were adopted in April 2018 and endorsed by the EDPB in its first Plenary meeting.

Continue Reading EDPB Publishes Updated Guidelines on Consent under the GDPR