Welcome to 2018, and an extended version of Privacy Tracker’s weekly legislative roundup. With the coming of the New Year, came the effective date for Germany’s law addressing online hate speech and California’s ban the box law. Guernsey has a new data protection law implementing the GDPR and confirmed a data protection commissioner for its newly created role. Palestine’s cybercrime law has seen amendments, though some say not enough. And in the U.S., the House has advanced the Privacy Notification Technical Clarification Act; President Trump has reinstated drone registration requirements; a ruling in Illinois has clarified who is covered under its biometric privacy law; and New York, California and Washington are working on state-level net neutrality laws. 

LATEST NEWS

DLA Piper offers an overview of the evolution of Asia’s privacy and cybersecurity laws.
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Germany’s new law addressing online hate speech, NetsDG is now in effect, reports Deutche Welle.
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Guernsey has passed a new data protection law and appointed Emma Martins as its new data protection commissioner, reports Guernsey Press.
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The Palestinian Authority has amended its cybercrime law, but human rights groups want further changes, reports Middle East Monitor.
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A Spanish court has ruled that parental authority includes the right to monitor their children’s online communications, reports 71Republic.
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JD Supra reports that U.S. President Donald Trump has reinstated the Federal Aviation Administration’s drone registration requirement.
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The U.S. House has advanced the Privacy Notification Technical Clarification Act, expanding the exemption to the annual data handling-notice requirement under the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act, reports Financial Regulation News.
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Inside Cybersecurity reports that U.S. House committees, including the Financial Services Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee, will push breach notification legislation this year.
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U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wa., has reintroduced the Ensuring Patient Access to Healthcare Records Act, which aims to change the way HIPAA applies to health data clearinghouses, reports MobiHealthNews.
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California’s ban the box law is now in effect, bringing new rules for employee background checks, reports JD Supra.
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Illinois’ state appeals court has ruled that plaintiffs must claim actual harm in order to have standing under the stat’s Biometric Information Privacy Act, reports The National Law Review.
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The Massachusetts legislature has squashed a measure to amend the state’s wiretap laws, reports the Boston Globe.
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New York, California and Washington have all indicated they will work to create net neutrality laws to protect consumers without violating the Federal Communication Commission’s order, reports Tech Dirt.
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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to criminalize nonconsensual pornography and sextortion and mandate that perpetrators register as sex offenders, the New York Post reports.
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Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan has issued a report recommending regulating the data brokerage industry, reports Vermont Business Magazine.
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US

Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., voiced their intentions to mount a filibuster in order to prevent a long-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, The Wall Street Journal reports. Meanwhile, the House Republicans’ plan to vote on a stand-alone Section 702 renewal bill are dead “for now.” 
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CANADA

The New Democratic Party has voiced concerns over recommendations from a House of Commons committee to amend Canada’s Anti-Spam Law, CTV News reports.
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EUROPE

The European Court of Human Rights recently ruled that the installation of CCTV cameras in university lecture halls where a professor worked violated his right to privacy under Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights, People Management reports.
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The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office has published draft guidance on children and the GDPR and is seeking public comments to consider before it offers final guidance
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