Tag: Government

(Apr 17, 2019) A group of 24 tech companies has voiced its support of an amendment to the California Consumer Privacy Act, according to a post on the DuckDuckGo Blog. The Privacy for All Act of 2019, originally sponsored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Calif., would give consumers the ability to opt out of data sharing and sue organizations for violations. A letter to Assemblymember Ed Chau, D-Calif., was signed by executives from DuckDuckGo, Tresorit, Brave and Ghostery. “A.B. 1760 holds all covered companie... Read More

(Apr 17, 2019) With countries looking to preserve their regimes, Bloomberg reports that more and more are turning to China’s model of restrictive data practices on the internet, rather than embracing the free model approach championed by Silicon Valley. No area signifies the ideological battle over how to control the internet more than Southeast Asia, where U.S.-China tensions are expected to come to a head as the area is home to half a billion and is expected to triple its internet economy to $240 billion by ... Read More

(Apr 17, 2019) The Online Trust Alliance, an Internet Society initiative, released its 2018 Online Trust Audit and Honor Roll. This year’s report analyzes nearly 1,200 organizations, making it the largest undertaken by the OTA, and primarily includes consumer-facing websites. Examining consumer protection, site security, and responsible privacy practices, the report found the federal websites to be the best performing industry, with 91% of audited sites making the Honor Roll, while the health care industry pro... Read More

(Apr 17, 2019) The New York Daily News reports Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., is sending out a data privacy survey to New Yorkers. The survey includes inquiries on respondents' smart devices, operating systems, and whether respondents know how to access and alter account privacy settings. The survey also asks people to describe the personal information they believe is being collected, stored or sold by social media outlets. Results will be used to inform state policies and could lead to new laws and regulations, a... Read More

(Apr 16, 2019) With testimony both for and against the bills, Texas Health Services Authority CEO George Gooch, CIPP/US, provides a summary of the April 2 public hearing held by the Texas House Committee on Business and Industry to examine House Bill 4390 (the Texas Privacy Protection Act) and House Bill 4518 (the Texas Consumer Privacy Act) in this Privacy Tracker post. Author of HB 4390, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Texas, said the aim of the bill is to introduce regulation, oversight and clarity on the info... Read More

(Apr 16, 2019) The European Data Protection Board has released a version of its Guidelines 2/2019 on processing personal data under Article 6(1)(b) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation for public consultation. The guidelines cover the applicability of data processing “in the context of contracts for online services, irrespective of how the services are financed.” The EDPB document offers an analysis of Article 6(1)(b), how the article interacts with “other lawful bases for processing,” and its applicab... Read More

(Apr 16, 2019) France’s data protection authority, the CNIL, released a report on its activity last year and the topics it will focus on in 2019. The CNIL covered its work related to the EU General Data Protection Regulation in 2018. The agency revealed it received 11,077 complaints over the past year, up 32.5% compared to 2017. The CNIL took on 310 investigations and issued 49 orders and 11 sanctions. For 2019, the CNIL aims to put an emphasis on data subject access rights, children’s data and the responsibil... Read More

(Apr 16, 2019) The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has charged Day Pacer and Edutrek, as well as the corporation's three owners, with violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule by conducting at least 5 million unsolicited outbound telemarketing calls to numbers on the Do Not Call Registry since 2013. The FTC also charged that the defendants provided “substantial assistance to other telemarketers who placed calls to numbers on the Do Not Call Registry.” According to the complaint, the defendants obtained phone number... Read More

(Apr 16, 2019) According to a news release, the EU has modernized its copyright laws to keep up with the current digital environment. The amendments address the adaption of copyright issues with regard to digital and cross-border environment, improvement of licensing practices, and achievement of a well-functioning marketplace. "The Council today adopted a directive that modernises existing EU copyright law to pave the way towards a true digital single market," the release stated. "The new rules ensure adequat... Read More

(Apr 16, 2019) European Union lawmakers are going forward with the creation of a database that collects biometric data for all non-EU citizens in Europe’s visa-free Schengen area, Politico reports. The system would bring together current databases that track migration, travel and crime and is expected to be approved by the European Parliament. The plans for the all-encompassing system go against the EU's position in 2010 when it said such a database would “constitute a gross and illegitimate restriction of ind... Read More