On January 10, 2017, the European Commission announced the final elements of its long-awaited “digital single market” strategy for Europe. The announcement includes two new proposed EU regulations as well as a European Commission Communication.… Continue Reading
On December 20, 2016, the FTC announced that it has agreed to settle charges that Turn Inc., a company that enables commercial brands and ad agencies to target digital advertising to consumers, tracked consumers online even after consumers took steps to opt out of tracking. … Continue Reading
On July 25, 2016, the Article 29 Working Party and the European Data Protection Supervisor released their respective Opinions regarding the evaluation and review of Directive 2002/58/EC on privacy and electronic communications. Both the Working Party and the EDPS stressed that new rules should complement the protections available under the EU General Data Protection Regulation. … Continue Reading
On July 20, 2016, the French Data Protection Authority announced that it issued a formal notice to Microsoft Corporation ordering the company to address several alleged violations of the French Data Protection Act concerning the Windows 10 operating system.… Continue Reading
On September 2, 2015, the French Data Protection Authority published the results of a sweep of 54 sites visited by children and teenagers. The sweep was conducted in May 2015 to assess whether websites that are directed toward, frequently used by or popular among children comply with French data protection law.… Continue Reading
On July 28, 2015, the UK Supreme Court announced its decision to grant permission in part for Google to appeal the England and Wales Court of Appeal’s decision in Google Inc. v Vidal-Hall and Others. … Continue Reading
On June 30, 2015, the French Data Protection Authority summarized the results of the cookie inspections it conducted at the end of 2014.… Continue Reading
On May 13, 2015, the Belgian Data Protection Authority published a recommendation addressing Facebook’s social plug-in practices. The Recommendation stems from the recent discussions between the Belgian Data Protection Authority and Facebook regarding its privacy policy and the tracking of Internet activities.… Continue Reading
On April 16, 2015, the French Data Protection Authority published its Annual Activity Report for 2014, which highlights its accomplishments during the past year and outlines new topics it will consider further in 2015.… Continue Reading
The Court of Appeal in the UK held that there is a tort of "misuse of private information," and that victims may recover damages without showing financial loss. … Continue Reading
On February 3, 2015, the Article 29 Working Party published a report on a sweep of 478 websites across eight EU Member States (Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom). The sweep was conducted to assess compliance with Article 5.3 of the e-Privacy Directive 2002/58/EC, as amended by 2009/136/EC.… Continue Reading
On November 25, 2014, the Article 29 Working Party adopted Opinion 9/2014 on device fingerprinting. This Opinion addresses the applicability of the consent requirement in Article 5.3 of the e-Privacy Directive to device fingerprinting.… Continue Reading
On September 18, 2014, the French Data Protection Authority announced plans to review 100 French websites on September 18-19, 2014. The CNIL’s review is being carried out as part of the European “cookies sweep day” initiative, an EU online compliance audit organized by the Article 29 Working Party to verify whether major EU websites are complying with EU cookie law requirements.… Continue Reading
On July 15, 2014, the UK Information Commissioner's Office released its Annual Report for 2013/14, in which it calls for increases in its funding and substantial new powers to help combat a range of growing privacy and data protection concerns.… Continue Reading
On July 11, 2014, the French Data Protection Authority announced that it will begin conducting inspections in October 2014 to verify whether companies are complying with the cookie guidance it issued last December. … Continue Reading
On April 24, 2014, the Belgian Data Protection Authority published a draft recommendation regarding the use of cookies (including how to obtain valid consent), and invited stakeholders to provide their input on the draft text. Comments are due to the Privacy Commission by July 31, 2014.… Continue Reading
On March 5, 2014, the French Data Protection Authority issued new guidelines in the form of practical information sheets that address online purchases, direct marketing, contests and sweepstakes, and consumer tracking.… Continue Reading
On January 21, 2014, the Hunton and Williams Global Privacy and Cybersecurity practice group hosted the latest webcast in its Hunton Global Privacy Update series. This blog post provides a link to a recording of the session and previous updates. … Continue Reading
On January 16, 2014 the High Court in London rejected submissions made on behalf of Google Inc. (“Google”) that the case brought against it by three UK-based users of Apple’s Safari browser should be heard in the U.S., rather than before an English court. The decision means that the case could be heard before a … Continue Reading
On December 16, 2013, the French Data Protection Authority released practical guidance on how to obtain consent for the use of cookies and similar technologies in compliance with EU and French data protection requirements.… Continue Reading
On November 13, 2013, Google entered into a $17 million settlement agreement with the attorneys general from 37 states and the District of Columbia related to allegations that the company bypassed users’ cookie-blocking settings on Apple’s Safari browser in 2011 and 2012. The settlement requires Google to refrain from bypassing cookie controls in the future … Continue Reading
On October 2, 2013, the Article 29 Working Party issued a Working Document providing guidance on how to obtain consent for the use of cookies and similar technologies in compliance with EU legal requirements. This blog entry summarizes the Working Document's suggestions of what to include in a cookie consent mechanism.… Continue Reading
