Another UK ICO GDPR Privacy Fine of £99m ($123m) Proposed Just One Day After the Largest Ever
Just a day after the ICO provided notice of its intention to fine British Airways £183m ($228m) over a separate breach (please see our blog post here), on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, the ICO released another statement of its intention to fine Marriott International, Inc. (“Marriott”) over £99m ($123m) in relation to a security incident affecting the Starwood reservation database which Marriott had acquired in 2016 and discovered in November 2018. The statement came in response to Marriott’s filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that the ICO intended to fine it for breaches of the GDPR.
UK ICO Publishes New Guidance on the Use of Cookies and Similar Technologies
On 3 July 2019, the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”) published new guidance on cookies and similar technologies (“Guidance”) in conjunction with a new blog post: “Cookies – what does ‘good’ look like?” which aims to provide “myth-busting” advice on common cookies uncertainties. You can find a full copy of the new guidance here and a link to the ICO’s blog post here. With its new Guidance, the ICO has formally recognised the stricter standards of consent and transparency now in force under the GDPR.
UK ICO Issues Largest Ever GDPR Privacy Fine of £183m ($228m)
Today we saw the ICO issue a notice of its intention to fine British Airways £183.39m for infringements of the GDPR – a record fine and the largest seen in the UK and the EU. The proposed fine relates to a cyber incident which BA notified to the ICO (as BA’s lead data protection authority, DPA) in September 2018. The incident involved the theft from the BA website and mobile app of personal data relating to customers over a two-week period. In terms of next steps, BA now has an opportunity to make representations to the ICO as to the proposed findings and sanction.
GDPR: One Year On
The 25th of May, 2019 marked a year since the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) came into force. For most in privacy, involvement with the GDPR has been ongoing for well over this year, but on the first anniversary of the GDPR we take an opportunity to look back and reflect on where we are now in relation to some key areas of interest including enforcement action, privacy litigation, breach notification and developing guidance from the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”).
UK and U.S. Privacy Shield Guidance on Brexit
In light of the UK’s possible departure from the European Union (EU), currently scheduled for October 31, 2019 (“Exit Day”), the UK Government has passed the Data Protection, Privacy and Electronic Communications (Amendments etc) (EU Exit) (No.2) Regulations 2019 (“Regulations”) which enter into force immediately before Exit Day.
FCA Publishes Wholesale Banks and Asset Management Cyber Multi-Firm Review Findings
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) has carried out a multi-firm review of cybersecurity practices with a sample of 20 firms in the wholesale banking and asset management sectors (the “Report”). The review aimed to look more closely at how wholesale banking and asset management firms oversee and manage their cybersecurity, including the extent to which firms identify and mitigate relevant cyber risks and their current capability to respond to and recover from data security incidents.
EDPB Adopts Opinion on Interplay Between the EU Clinical Trials Regulation and the GDPR
On 23 January 2019, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted an opinion on the interplay between the EU Clinical Trials Regulation (CTR) and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Opinion addresses the appropriate legal basis for the processing of personal data in the context of clinical trials (primary use), and the secondary use of clinical trial data. (more…)
Second Annual Review of Privacy Shield Continues to Call for Improvements; White House Nominates Privacy Shield Ombudsperson
In December 2018, the European Commission published its report on the second annual review of the EU-US Privacy Shield (the “Report”). The Report concluded that the Privacy Shield “continues to ensure an adequate level of protection” for personal data transferred from the EU to the US. However, the Commission did identify a number of recommendations from the first annual review which still required implementation including the appointment by the US of a permanent ombudsperson to oversee complaints. To date, the U.S. has only appointed an interim ombudsperson (Manisha Singh). In the first annual review, the Commission did not set a deadline for the appointment. However, the latest review required an appointee to be identified by 28 February 2019 failing which the Commission will “consider taking appropriate measures.”
European Commission Provides a Summary of the GDPR so far for Data Protection Day 2019
On January 25, 2019, the European Commission published a statement to mark Data Protection Day (January 28, 2019) which, this year, comes eight months after the entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) on May 25, 2018.
The statement indicates that the European Commission considers the GDPR to have had a positive effect, in particular because European citizens are now more conscious of the importance of data protection and of their rights. The European Commission also notes that the Data Protection Authorities (“DPAs”) are enforcing the new rules and better coordinating their actions in the European Data Protection Board. (more…)
Transfers of Personal Data from the EU to the U.S. in the Event of a Brexit ‘No-Deal’
The EU-U.S. Privacy Shield (“Privacy Shield”) enables the free-flow of personal data from the European Economic Area (“EEA”) to the U.S. Under the Privacy Shield, U.S. participant organisations commit to adhering to Privacy Shield principles, which include accountability for the onward transfer of personal data after receiving such data from EEA organisations, data integrity obligations and purpose limitations with respect to the personal data transferred. Privacy Shield participant organisations are also required to develop and maintain a Privacy Shield-compliant privacy policy which informs individuals of the organisation’s practices and procedures when handling personal data and explains the independent recourse mechanisms in place for individuals to address complaints with respect to the processing of their personal data. (more…)