On May 11, 2021, Senators Edward Markey (D-MA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act. The Bill, which would amend the existing Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, would prohibit companies from collecting personal information from children ages 13 to 15 without their consent.
Continue Reading Senate Bill Would Expand Federal Children’s Privacy Protections

On May 2, 2021, the Norwegian data protection authority, Datatilsynet, notified a U.S. company of its intention to issue a fine of 25 million Norwegian Krone (approximately 2.5 million Euros). The preliminary fine was issued for failure to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation’s accountability, lawfulness and transparency requirements, primarily due to the company’s tracking of website visitors.
Continue Reading Norwegian DPA Issues 2.5M EUR Preliminary Fine for U.S. Company Utilizing Web-Tracking IDs

The National Information Security Standardization Technical Committee of China has published a draft standard on Security Requirements of Facial Recognition Data. The Standard, which is non-mandatory, details requirements for collecting, processing, sharing and transferring data used for facial recognition.
Continue Reading China Publishes Draft Security Standard on Facial Recognition

On April 1, 2021, California’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the state’s prohibition on recording calls without consent applies to parties on the call and not just third-party eavesdroppers. Writing for the Court, Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye wrote that California’s penal code “prohibits parties as well as nonparties from intentionally recording a communication transmitted between a cellular or cordless phone and another device without the consent of all parties to the communication.”
Continue Reading California Supreme Court Requires All-Party Consent to Record Phone Calls

China’s State Administration for Market Regulation has recently issued Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Transactions. The Measures implement rules for the E-commerce Law of China and provide the specific rules for addressing registration of an online operation entity, supervision of new business models (such as social e-commerce and livestreaming), platform operators’ responsibilities, protection of consumers’ rights and protection of personal information.
Continue Reading China Issues the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Transactions

The Centre for Information Policy Leadership at Hunton Andrews Kurth has submitted its comments on the Irish Data Protection Commissioner’s draft guidance on the safeguarding of the personal data of children when providing online services.
Continue Reading CIPL Submits Comments on Irish DPC’s Guidance on Safeguarding Personal Data of Children

On February 10, 2021, the European Data Protection Supervisor published two opinions on the European Commission’s proposals for a Digital Services Act and a Digital Markets Act. The two proposals are part of a set of measures announced in the 2020 European Strategy for Data and have two main goals: (1) creating a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected, and (2) establishing a level playing field to foster innovation, growth and competitiveness in the European Single Market and globally.
Continue Reading EDPS Publishes Opinion on Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act

On February 4, 2021, the French Data Protection Authority announced that it sent letters and emails to approximately 300 organizations, both private and public, to remind them of the new cookie law rules and the need to audit their sites and apps to comply with those rules by March 31, 2021.
Continue Reading CNIL Calls Organizations to Audit their Sites and Apps for Cookie Compliance