Global News Roundup—January 25 - February 1, 2016

In this week’s Privacy Tracker weekly roundup, read about Germany’s new law allowing consumer associations to sue companies over perceived data protection violations plus a German Federal Constitutional Court decision to reject a submission that would have delayed obligations for storage of electronic traffic data. In Switzerland, a bill that would establish government authority to effect warrantless online surveillance of civilians will be forced to go to a referendum vote, and in Poland thousands protested an attempt to expand the government's ability to use surveillance and access digital data. Also, read about Latin American efforts towards robust privacy frameworks in Costa Rica and other countries, and a new board in the U.S. will be conducting federal background checks beginning soon.

LATEST NEWS

North Carolina Rep. Duane Hall is introducing an employee and student social media privacy bill making it illegal for schools and employers to require them to hand over login information to online accounts, reports WNCT.

A Valley News editorial calls for the Vermont state legislature to “articulate a broad vision of privacy in 21st century Vermont and establish a Commission on Privacy and Public Safety to help realize it.”

ICYMI

David Meyer reports in this exclusive for The Privacy Advisor about Germany’s new law that will allow consumer associations to sue companies over perceived data protection violations in their commercial practices.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' long-running legal battle with the FTC finally ended in a settlement that tells a new story about how to stay out of the FTC's crosshairs, Angelique Carson, CIPP/US, has this in-depth report for The Privacy Advisor.

In this sixth of a 10-part series, IAPP Westin Fellow Gabriel Maldoff examines the rights of erasure and data portability in the EU General Data Protection Regulation.

U.S.

In a step toward achieving a new trans-Atlantic global interoperability agreement, a U.S. Senate committee on Thursday approved the Judicial Redress Act, which would allow Europeans to sue in the U.S. over allegations of data privacy violations, Reuters reports.

The Wyoming State Legislature will once more debate whether citizens will vote on the addition of privacy as a citizen's right in the state's constitution, ABC News reports.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights updated HIPAA in accordance with President Obama's executive order regarding firearms, the National Law Review reports. Entities under the HIPAA umbrella will be able to provide the National Instant Criminal Background Check System with the identities of individuals with a "mental health prohibitor" that would prevent them from "transporting, possessing or receiving a firearm," starting Feb. 5 of this year.

Five senior U.S. administration officials, announced the National Background Investigations Bureau, which will conduct all background checks on federal employees and contractors going forward.

ASIA PACIFIC

Livemint reports, India’s Supreme Court constitution bench will likely hear the Aadhaar unique ID case this week to determine whether the scheme violates the privacy of Indian nationals.

EUROPE

The German Federal Constitutional Court has rejected a submission that would have delayed obligations for storage of electronic traffic data until a decision in the main proceedings had occurred, Telecompaper reports.

A Swiss bill that would establish government authority to effect warrantless online surveillance of civilians will be forced to go to a referendum vote, reports Boing Boing.

The Dutch government is taking steps to implement a more substantial data breach notification obligation to protect "vital" industries and services, Telecompaper reports.

In January, thousands of Poles took to the streets of Warsaw to protest a new proposal that would expand the government's ability to use surveillance and access digital data, PressTV reports.

LATIN AMERICA

Bloomberg BNA reports that Central America is upping its game in terms of data protection, with Costa Rica and Panama having the most advanced regulatory frameworks.