On April 4, 2017, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office announced a settlement with Copley Advertising LLC in a case involving geofencing. … Continue Reading
On November 23, 2016, Bloomberg BNA reported that the Hague Administrative Court in the Netherlands upheld a decision by the Dutch Data Protection Authority that WhatsApp was in breach of the Dutch Data Protection Act. … Continue Reading
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights issued guidance for HIPAA-covered entities that use cloud computing services involving electronic protected health information. … Continue Reading
On October 3, 2016, the Texas Attorney General announced a $30,000 settlement with mobile app developer Juxta Labs stemming from allegations that the company engaged in deceptive practices regarding its collection of personal information from children.… Continue Reading
On June 28, 2016, the State Internet Information Office of the People’s Republic of China published the Administrative Provisions on Information Services for Mobile Internet Applications (the “App Administrative Provisions”). This is the first regulation that expressly regulates mobile apps in the People’s Republic of China. Before the App Administrative Provisions were published, the P.R.C. … Continue Reading
On June 22, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it reached a settlement with a mobile advertising company, InMobi, to resolve charges that the company deceptively tracked hundreds of millions of consumers’ locations without their knowledge or consent. Among other requirements, the settlement orders the company to pay 950,000 dollars in civil penalties. … Continue Reading
On May 9, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission announced it had issued Orders to File a Special Report to eight mobile device manufacturers requiring them to, for purposes of the FTC's ongoing study of the mobile ecosystem, provide the FTC with "information about how [the companies] issue security updates to address vulnerabilities in smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices."… Continue Reading
On April 6, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission endorsed the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s updated guidelines on consumer protection in e-commerce. This blog entry provides highlights on the OECD’s new recommendations. … Continue Reading
On March 22, 2016, the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China published drafts of its proposed (1) Specifications for Business Services in Mobile E-commerce and (2) Specifications for Business Services in Cross-border E-commerce. Public comments on the drafts will be accepted until May 31, 2016.… Continue Reading
Hunton & Williams welcomes Phyllis Marcus as counsel to the firm’s privacy and competition teams. Phyllis joins the firm from the Federal Trade Commission, where she most recently served as Chief of Staff of the Division of Advertising Practices.… Continue Reading
On October 16, 2015, the German Parliament adopted a new data retention law requiring telecommunications operators and Internet service providers to retain customer Internet and phone usage data.… Continue Reading
On September 11, 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) announced that Lyft Inc. (“Lyft”) and First National Bank Corporation (“FNB”) violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (“TCPA”) by forcing their users to consent to receive automated text messages as a condition of using their services. The FCC warned that these violations could result in fines … 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 27, 2015, Giovanni Buttarelli, the European Data Protection Supervisor, published Opinion 3/2015 on the reform of Europe's data protection laws, intended to "assist the participants in the trilogue in reaching the right consensus on time."… Continue Reading
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently promulgated its Provisions on the Administration of Short Messaging Services, which will take effect on June 30, 2015. This blog entry provides detailed highlights on the Provisions.… Continue Reading
On May 28, 2015, the German government adopted a draft law that would require telecommunications and Internet service providers to retain Internet and telephone usage data.… Continue Reading
On May 25, 2015, the French Data Protection Authority released its long-awaited annual inspection program for 2015, announcing that a target of 550 inspections was set for 2015, including 350 on-site inspections, document reviews or hearings and 200 online inspections. This blog entry provides a summary of the program.… Continue Reading
The Digital Advertising Alliance recently announced that, as of September 1, 2015, the Council of Better Business Bureaus and the Direct Marketing Association will begin to enforce the DAA Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising and the Multi-Site Data Principles in the mobile environment.… Continue Reading
On May 11, 2015, the French Data Protection Authority announced that it will participate, along with 28 other data protection authorities in the Global Privacy Enforcement Network, in a joint online audit to assess whether websites directed toward children comply with global privacy laws.… Continue Reading
On April 23, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Nomi Technologies has agreed to settle charges stemming from allegations that the company misled consumers with respect to their ability to opt out of the company's mobile device tracking service at retail locations. The settlement marks the FTC's first Section 5 enforcement action against a company that provides tracking services at retailers.… Continue Reading
On April 1, 2015, the Global Privacy Enforcement Network released a 2014 annual report highlighting the network's accomplishments throughout the year.… Continue Reading
Hunton & Williams is pleased to announce the release of its newly designed and mobile-responsive Privacy and Information Security Law Blog, www.huntonprivacyblog.com.… Continue Reading
The Federal Trade Commission announced the formation of the Office of Technology Research and Investigation, which the FTC describes as “an office designed to expand the FTC’s capacity to protect consumers in an age of rapid technological innovation.”… Continue Reading
