The European Union has made it official; the General Data Protection Regulation, Directive 2016/680 and the Passenger Name Record Directive have been published in the official journal, meaning we have a date for enactment: May 25, 2018. Also in this week’s Privacy Tracker legislative roundup, Ontario’s legislature passed a new health care privacy bill, a bill in Trinidad and Tobago boosting government surveillance is moving forward despite objections, and Australia’s attorney-general is handling requests for exemption from the new data retention requirements. In the U.S., New Jersey has a new law against “upskirting;” Colorado’s student privacy bill and Connecticut’s cellphone privacy bill both await governors’ signatures; and Nebraska and Tennessee have amended breach notification laws going into effect in July.
LATEST NEWS
Ontario’s legislature has passed the Health Information Protection Act in its third reading. The act aims to improve privacy, accountability and transparency in health care, according to a news release.
The Trinidad and Tobago government is holding strong on a bill to bolster surveillance in the country, despite some senator’s objections, reports Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.
Colorado’s student privacy bill is headed to the governor for signature, reports CBS Denver.
A Connecticut cellphone privacy bill raising the bar for police to get access to cellphone content is headed for the governor’s desk, reports Public News Service.
Norton Rose Fulbright’s Data Protection Report offersan overview of changes to the data breach notification laws in Nebraska and Tennessee.
Two state senators in Michigan have proposed a bill that would make hacking a car a felony punishable by life in prison, reports ComputerWorld.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has approved a bill making it illegal to surreptitiously record or photograph a person's undergarments, reports ABC13.
ICYMI
Rafae Bhatti, CIPM, CIPP/US, writes for Privacy Tracker about what’s at stake in the Spokeo Supreme Court case — namely, consumers’ ability “to seek redress for violation of their legally protected rights.”
In this interview with Angelique Carson, CIPP/US, for The Privacy Advisor, newly appointed U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham talks about her steep learning curve as she takes over privacy enforcement duties on a new continent.
U.S.
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law will host a May 11 hearing on the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed privacy rules, MediaPost reports.
Three House panels are lobbying to be the authority on the encryption debate, The Hill reports. Leaders from the Homeland Security, Energy and Commerce, and Judiciary panels are aiming to take the lead in balancing user privacy with law enforcement to access encrypted phones.
A new California bill could set a national precedent for the handling of an individual’s digital footprint after they pass away, Fusion reports.
The Supreme Court has updated Rule 41, allowing federal judges to issue warrants for computers outside of their jurisdiction, potentially threatening the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, Fast Company reports.
The Federal Communications Commission will not extend a public comment period on its broadband privacy proposal as requested by the ad industry, MediaPost reports.
ASIA PACIFIC
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner will receive AU$9.3 million over the next four years in federal funding, ZDNet reports.
Former High Court Judge Michael Kirby is championing an inquiry through the State Parliament's Law and Justice Committee to encourage more stringent New South Wales revenge porn and privacy laws, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
EUROPE
The European Commission has supported privacy advocate Alexander Hanff’s position that certain “ad blocker blocker” techniques could breach EU privacy law, Financial Times reports.
The European Parliament is struggling to set a date for a plenary vote on the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield, reports Euractive.
Italy’s Data Protection Authority has mandated that Facebook disclose details of an instance of trolling in a case where the user claims the social network responded unsatisfactorily, International Business Times reports.
The New York Times reports on a French case pitting the freedom of the press against the dignity and privacy of an individual.
LATIN AMERICA
A Brazilian judge told the five main wireless operators in the country to halt the service of WhatsApp for the second time in five months, Reuters reports.