Global News Roundup—December 8-15, 2014

In the U.S., two cybersecurity bills are closer to becoming law while a spending bill could mean a significant budget increase for the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, and a judge has allowed a class-action lawsuit to continue against Target, possibly opening a “can of worms.” In Kenya, a bill would mean more powers for national security agencies to access communications to fight terrorism. In the EU, changes to the one-stop-shop provision in the proposed regulation may leave some wanting; the Article 29 Working Party released guidance on the right to be forgotten, and a UK court ruled electronic surveillance of cell phone and online activity is legal, while the European Court of Justice put more restrictions on home CCTV use. And In Canada, the Supreme Court ruled on police access to cell-phone data.

LATEST NEWS

In Kenya, a proposed national security law that would allow national security agencies to “intercept communication for the purpose of detecting, deterring and disrupting terrorism and related activities” among other things, is being fast-tracked, reports Slate. 

The U.S. Senate has approved the National Cybersecurity Protection Act of 2014, which would codify the existing cybersecurity and communications operations center at the Department of Homeland Security, reports National Journal.

In Illinois, legislation that would ban the practice of recording the police is awaiting the governor’s signature, Ars Technica reports.

Louisiana public schools are working to implement a new student privacy law prohibiting them from collecting, transmitting or sharing any personal student data, KTBS reports.

ICYMI

In this Privacy Tracker post, Shaun Brown of nNovation examines the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling that police may conduct limited searches of suspects' cell phones without getting search warrants if they follow strict rules.

In this Privacy Tracker post, Timothy Banks, CIPP/C, offers a look at the 2014 legislative environment in Canada.

GLOBAL

A total of 23 privacy enforcement partners from across the globe are telling app marketplaces "to make it mandatory for mobile app developers to post links to privacy policies prior to download if they're going to collect personal information," Canada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner announced Wednesday morning.

U.S.

Oregon’s attorney general has called on the state's legislature to adopt legislation that would prevent the collection and sale of student information to third-party advertisers, TNS reports.

A Minnesota judge has ruled that a class-action lawsuit against Target for a massive data breach can continue because the company "played a key role in allowing the harm to occur," reports The Christian Science Monitor's Passcode. Bloomberg reports that Target plans to use a "no-harm, no-foul" defense based on a 2013 Supreme Court ruling.

The Federal Information Security Modernization Act, which will change the way federal agencies respond to and manage data breaches, has now passed both houses of Congress and awaits President Barack Obama's signature, The Hill reports.

A proposed spending bill could more than double the current budget of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, The Hill reports.

EU

Promontory's John Bowman reports for The Privacy Advisor on the meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels that discussed the so-called one-stop shop; it may not be exactly what some businesses or member states hoped for, but it is likely to gain approval during 2015.

The Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU) has issued a new ruling stating domestic CCTV use that films public areas is not exempt from data processing obligations under the EU Data Protection Directive, reports Hogan Lovells' Chronicle of Data Protection.

Paul Lanois unpacks the Article 29 Working Party’s guidelines on how EU data protection authorities intend to implement the right to be forgotten pursuant to the CJEU's decision in this exclusive for The Privacy Advisor.

A UK court ruled Friday that mass electronic surveillance of citizens' cell phones and online activity is legal, The New York Times reports.

PCWorld reports the UK's Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 "will be reviewed by the country's High Court to determine if it violates human rights."

The Article 29 Working Party released its Working Document on surveillance of electronic communications for intelligence and national security purposes.

One of the new European commissioners charged with data protection, Věra Jourová, has expressed her desire to continue the effort by her predecessor, Viviane Reding, to push forward the data protection regulation, V3.co.uk reports.

The European Commission is imposing gag orders on MEPs and preventing journalist access to discussions at the European Parliament's LIBE Committee, EUObserver reports.

ASIA PACIFIC

In a recent blog, New Zealand's Office of the Privacy Commissioner examines the question, "What is and isn't news media and when should the Privacy Act apply?"