Global News Roundup—August 31-September 8, 2015

In this week’s Privacy Tracker legislative roundup, read about the new amendments to Japan’s privacy law—including its use of APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules as a standard that meets data handling requirements. Also, Russia postponed enforcement of its data localization law, which went into effect September 1, and banks in the EU are voicing concerns that the right to be forgotten could make it harder for lenders to detect fraud, among other things. In the U.S., the Email Privacy Act will get some attention once Congress’s summer break ends, California may see three new drone privacy laws soon and a commission in Maryland wants the General Assembly to consider restricting access to police body-worn camera footage.

LATEST NEWS

Japan’s amended privacy law restricts cross-border sharing of personal data and specifically points to certification in APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules as satisfying the new requirements, TRUSTe reports. Global Compliance News highlights some noteworthy changes here.

FCW reports that the Email Privacy Bill will get a markup in the Judiciary Committee this fall.

NextGov reports that 26 states have now passed drone-related legislation, and according to Government Technology, Kentucky may soon join them.

ITProPortal reports on three California bills regulating drone use that are awaiting the signature of Gov. Jerry Brown, Law360 reports that media groups are pushing for a veto.

Larry Magid writes for The Huffington Post about CalECPA, which he says appropriately balances the needs of law enforcement access to information and protecting basic privacy rights.

A Maryland commission intends to write to the General Assembly asking it to consider amending the Maryland Public Information Act in order to put some restrictions on access to police body-camera recordings, reports The Washington Post.

Texas’s revenge porn law went into effect September 1, reports KTEN.

U.S.

Republican commissioners from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) warn the FCC's move into the FTC's Internet privacy jurisdiction will lead to excessive enforcement and uncertainty, Law360 reports.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Court ruled that the National Security Agency's collection of metadata under the USA Freedom Act could continue until the bill's expiration in November, Reuters reports.

ASIA PACIFIC

The Standard reports, Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data Stephen Wong said of the 40 cases involving the misuse of data in marketing, the "benchmark for prosecution of such cases is high.”

The Constitution Bench of India’s Supreme Court of India will soon pronounce whether the right to privacy is fundamental, and while India's constitution doesn't explicitly guarantee its citizens a right to privacy, the court has noted that "many of the fundamental rights of citizens can be described as contributing to the right to privacy," Sudhanshu Ranjan writes for The Asian Age,

EUROPE

The Wall Street Journal reports that Russia has postponed the enforcement of a new national law requiring technology companies that handle the personal data of Russian citizens to install data centers within the country's national borders.

Several banks are lobbying officials in Brussels over concerns that specific aspects of the proposed General Data Protection Regulation would make it more difficult for lenders to detect fraud, efficiently extend loans and effectively provide other online services, Financial Times reports.