Our Data Class Actions team has today published an article about the future of class actions in the August 2020 issue of PLC Magazine. The article first appeared in the August 2020 issue of PLC Magazine. The article follows the Supreme Court’s decision in Various Claimants v WM Morrison Supermarkets Plc (Morrisons) – the first … Read more

The European Court of Justice (“ECJ”) has today invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield, meaning that companies can no longer rely on this mechanism for transferring personal data from the EU to the US. Companies transferring data to the US relying on the Privacy Shield (including transfers to a number of the big tech IT service … Read more

The President has (finally!) announced that the operative provisions of the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 will come into force on 1 July 2020. What is POPI? POPI is South Africa’s data privacy law and it stands for the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013.  It is sometimes also referred to as POPIA.  It … Read more

In a move that marks a major U-turn for the Government, the UK’s proposals for a centralised contact tracing app have been abandoned in favour of a decentralised model. The new model is based on technology developed by Apple and Google and replaces the original app designed by NHSX, which recently has faced criticism due … Read more

On 17 April 2020, the ICO published an opinion by the Information Commissioner (the “Commissioner”) on Apple and Google’s joint initiative to develop COVID-19 contact tracing technology (the “Opinion”, available here). Summary The Commissioner found the CTF to be aligned with principles of data protection by design and by default. Controllers designing contact tracing apps … Read more

The ICO has published details of its regulatory approach during the ongoing COVID-19 emergency; this is an approach which should reassure entities who are adapting to the economic and practical realities of operating in the current climate, as well as balancing their data protection obligations.  The UK regulator has continued to be reasonable and pragmatic, … Read more

Another revised draft ePrivacy Regulation (“ePR”) was recently published which introduces the ability for organisations to rely on the “legitimate interests” legal basis to drop cookies on end users’ devices. This change has been criticised by some commentators for ambiguities and watering down data protection rights despite accompanying safeguards. It remains to be seen if … Read more

The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) has extended its deadline for licensed corporations to confirm compliance with its new data storage regulations, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. On 31 March 2020, the SFC granted a six-month extension to the implementation deadline for aspects of its 31 October 2019 circular on the use of external electronic data storage … Read more