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

Background The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in an unprecedented focus on the power of data to assist in resolving national emergencies. From health tracking, to volunteer coordination, to accurately identifying the vulnerable, data is being harnessed in both the public and private sectors to try to help bring COVID-19 under control and mitigate its impact. Read more

On 1 April 2020, almost two years after the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) entered into force, the European Commission published a roadmap for evaluating its application. The roadmap specifically asks for feedback on the Commission’s strategy in dealing with the issue of international transfer of personal data to third countries, focussing on existing adequacy … Read more

Today the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Wm Morrisons Supermarkets Plc v Various Claimants [2020] UKSC 12, bringing to its conclusion a case which had the potential to alter significantly the data protection and cyber security litigation and class action landscape. The headline news is that Morrisons has been found not to be … Read more

The COVID-19 outbreak is proving an interesting time to be a data protection practitioner. There seems to be a new article each day about the next exciting app which promises to use data to help manage the crisis. This post focuses on two particular propositions that pose interesting data protection considerations. It also flags the … Read more

In these unprecedented times, COVID-19 has forced organisations to quickly put in to place measures with the aim of ensuring both business continuity and the protection of employees. In many instances, this has involved increased processing of health data, in ways that were not envisaged a short time ago. Organisations across the globe are also … Read more