In this week’s Privacy Tracker legislative roundup, read about plans for new privacy and cybercrime laws in Bahrain, and a commitment from Australia’s attorney general that the government will introduce mandatory breach notification laws this year, plus, European Commission says it will introduce its ePrivacy Directive update in September. Ecuador’s president has introduced the Protection of Privacy and Personal Data Bill and a Canadian police lobby group wants a law requiring citizens to hand over electronic passwords during investigations. In the U.S., Texas will soon see an anti-bullying bill, we have a list of Privacy Shield self-certified companies, and the CDT offers an analysis of the Department of Justice proposal that would see foreign government wiretapping in the U.S.  

LATEST NEWS

Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has announced that Bahrain will likely introduce new laws to fight cybercrime and protect online privacy, reports Arabian Business. 

Data Guidance reports that Ecuador’s President, Gabriela Rivadeneira, has presented a bill on the Protection of Privacy and Personal Data offering data subjects rights around the use and processing of their data and establishing a regulatory body.

The National Law Review reports on location data gathering under the GDPR.

The Center for Democracy &Technology offers an analysis of proposed legislation from the U.S. Department of Justice that would allow foreign governments to conduct wiretapping in the U.S.

A Texas state senator will propose an anti-bullying bill that includes provisions requiring schools to cooperate with police on investigations and addressing cyber-bullying, reports CBS Austin.

ICYMI

This tool created by IAPP Westin Fellow Anna Myers, CIPM, CIPP/US, consolidates the GDPR’s enforcement provisions into an interactive map, illustrating how supervisory authorities may pursue complaints administratively.

US

The International Trade Administration released a list of nearly 40 companies that have been approved under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield. However, the Wall Street Journal reports that businesses have been slow to join the agreement, mostly due to a lack of legal uncertainty in the EU.

As HIPAA turns 20, some medical professionals wonder if the privacy law is too antiquated for its own good, Modern Healthcare reports.

ASIA PACIFIC

New Zealand Privacy Commissioner John Edwards has officially agreed with the Minister of Social Development’s proposal to update privacy laws so that federal agencies can disclose information about children in danger with both greater ease and less fear about potential enforcement action, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner announced in a statement.

EUROPE

The European Commission will release its E-Privacy Directive update draft in September, which will mandate that apps like Skype and WhatsApp fall under the same privacy regulatory umbrella as SMS text messages and both mobile and landline calls, the Guardian reports.