Greetings from Portsmouth, New Hampshire!

I recently took a weeklong vacation down to lovely Cape Cod. In any other year, the trials and tribulations of a 30-year-old man’s vacation need absolutely no documentation, but 2020 is not any other year. They were the first days off I took since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and while I didn’t venture outside of the house much more than I do here in Portsmouth, I have to say it was probably the most refreshing week off I’ve had in a long time.

Long story short, if you can take time off during this tough time, do it. It’s incredibly easy to both be overloaded by the bad news while figuring that since you are already home, you might as well keep working. Disconnect for a bit. You’ll feel a lot better.

It’s not like there won’t be a shortage of privacy news for you to catch up on when you get back.

The Court of Justice of the European Union’s ruling in the “Schrems II” case to invalidate the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield agreement and uphold standard contractual clauses, with a new set of caveats, has meant summer has not been a bore in the privacy world. The decision has stirred up plenty of questions, and organizations are looking for answers. There have been so many questions the IAPP set up a FAQ page to help companies take the next steps to ensure their data transfers are legal.

Privacy Shield may have been struck down, but the U.S. Department of Commerce and European Commission have started negotiations for an “enhanced framework” to take its place, so don’t expect this story to go away any time soon.

And let us not forget the ongoing legislative activity in California. The final regulations for the California Consumer Privacy Act have been filed with the secretary of state. According to California's Office of the Attorney General, the new CCPA regulations went into effect immediately.

While the CCPA rounds into form, the California Privacy Rights Act looms on the horizon as state residents will have the opportunity to vote on it this November. Groups continue to voice their support and opposition to the ballot initiative, and the results have the potential to once again shake up the privacy landscape in the U.S.

All of this has happened in the last month-plus. See? Privacy isn’t going anywhere. You’ll have time to read up on all the latest happenings. Consider turning off the laptop for a couple of days. You won’t regret it.

Stay safe.