In this week's Privacy Tracker global legislative roundup, China prepares to introduce data privacy laws, while Kenya works to pass data protection legislation of its own. The California Legislature is crafting a bill that will limit the personal data consumption and storage by smart-home speakers. Ireland's Supreme Court announces a decision date in Facebook's data transfer appeal. The IAPP editorial staff also provides original reporting from the IAPP Global Privacy Summit 2019.

LATEST NEWS

An Australian factory worker won an appeal of a case regarding his termination for refusing to register his fingerprint to his employer’s new biometric scanning system. The Fair Work Commission ruled that the firing was unjustified based on the worker’s rights under the Privacy Act.
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Lawmakers in China are drafting new legislation to safeguard data privacy, particularly biometric data, but enforcement continues to be a hurdle.
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Kenya is ramping up its efforts to finish data protection legislation to meet calls to have the law in effect within a few months. The expedited process comes in response to Huduma number registration, which has eclipsed 21 million citizens.
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HM Revenue and Customs, the U.K.’s tax authority, was forced to delete 5 million voice recordings after the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office found the agency to be breaching data laws.
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The Arizona Court of Appeals ruled the retail company Costco can be sued for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act violations related to a pharmacist's treatment of a customer’s medical information. The case was originally dismissed by a trial court judge.
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The California Legislature is moving forward with a bill that would prohibit producers of smart-home speakers from saving or storing recordings without users’ explicit consent.
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A bill recently introduced in the New York State Assembly Education Committee would halt the use of facial recognition in schools for one year, allowing the New York State Education Department to further study the issue.
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A blog post for law firm Snell & Wilmer’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Law Blog explains the details of what is covered under the Utah Electronic Information or Data Privacy Act.
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ICYMI

Gary Weingarden, CIPP/A, CIPP/C, CIPP/E, CIPP/G, CIPP/US, CIPM, CIPT, FIP, PLS, wrote a piece for The Privacy Advisor regarding the "broad claims" surrounding the enforcement and impact of the California Consumer Privacy Act.
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Andrew Chappell, CIPP/US, dove into the details of Denmark's first EU General Data Protection Regulation fine in this Privacy Advisor post.
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Marie-Laure Denis, the new head of France's data protection authority, the CNIL, sat down with Jennifer Baker for a discussion on her priorities and enforcement strategy as she takes her new post.
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U.S. Federal Trade Commission Chairman Joe Simons discussed the agency's enforcement priorities, including Facebook settlement negotiations, in an appearance at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit. IAPP Editorial Director Jed Bracy, CIPP, has the details from the session in this report for The Privacy Advisor.
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IAPP Associate Editor Ryan Chiavetta, CIPP/US, reported for The Privacy Advisor on a panel discussion at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit that focused on how ideals and provisions in other laws have traveled from the EU to Washington State.
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The U.S. Senate held the "Consumer Perspectives: Policy Principles for a Federal Data Privacy Framework" hearing, which had lawmakers asking consumer groups for suggestions on how to craft privacy legislation to fit the groups' needs. IAPP Editor Angelique Carson, CIPP/US, posted a Privacy Advisor piece on the hearing, which also featured testimony from Irish Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon.
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From the keynote stage at the IAPP Global Privacy Summit, Dixon and U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham both alluded to upcoming fines for big tech companies for violations of the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Carson had the scoop for The Privacy Advisor.
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APAC

The Bangkok Post offered employers a breakdown of how they can prepare for the implementation of Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act and what to expect after it goes into effect.
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CANADA

Canada's Federal Court will decide on Google's "right-to-be-forgotten" case based on specific points in the country's privacy law rather than examining constitutional questions.
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EUROPE

Ireland's Supreme Court gave a June 6 deadline for a decision on Facebook's data transfer appeal that was heard in January.
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U.K. Digital Minister Margot James proposed new legislation that will help secure internet-of-things products.
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US

The California Attorney General and state lawmakers convened to discuss the current state of the California Consumer Privacy Act.
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Politico took an in-depth look at the political battle that kept the Washington Privacy Act from reaching the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.
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Bipartisan differences may keep U.S. lawmakers from crafting a discussion draft for a federal privacy law by month's end, which also hinders the desire to vote on legislation before Congress goes on recess in August.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it will lower fines for minor violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
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