EU Governments Sign-off Proposed Reforms to GDPR Procedural Rules and Council Reaches Common Member States’ Position
On 24 May 2024, the Council of the European Union (the “Council”) released new details of a proposed reform of the General Data Protection Regulation’s (“GDPR”) procedural rules, which representatives of EU national governments approved on 29 May 2024. On 13 June 2024, the Council issued a press release detailing its agreed common Member States’ position that maintains the general thrust of the original proposed reforms, but which seeks to: (i) introduce clearer timelines; (ii) improve efficiency of cooperation; and (iii) provide an early resolution mechanism.
UK proposes New Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to Boost the UK’s Cyber Defences
During the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, the newly appointed UK Prime Minister announced the UK Government’s intention to introduce a new Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to strengthen the UK’s defences against the global rise in cyberattacks and to protect the UK’s critical infrastructure. In background briefing notes published together with the King’s Speech, the UK Government stated that the new Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will “strengthen our defences and ensure that more essential digital services than ever before are protected.” According to the briefing notes, the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill intends to address the concern that the UK has not kept up-to-date with recent legislative advancements made by the EU in the cybersecurity space, resulting in the UK being “comparably more vulnerable.” Although the form of the proposed Cyber Security and Resilience Bill has yet to be released, the UK Government has indicated that it plans to introduce the bill in the coming months.
Heightened Focus in the EU for the Protection of Minors Online
The protection of minors online continues to be a focus for EU regulators. Following the publication last year by the European Parliament of its guidelines on online age verification methods for children, the European Commission has recently announced it will be holding a dedicated stakeholder workshop in September 2024 to discuss guidelines for age verification and protecting minors. Whilst the issue has been flagged as a priority by the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”) and we are seeing an increase in guidelines and (in some cases) laws addressing the issue at a national Member State level, this is also a focus of the new EU Digital Services Act (“DSA”).
An Artificial Intelligence, Privacy, and Cybersecurity Update for Indian Companies Doing Business in the United States and Europe
Pivotal shifts have occurred in global data privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), and cybersecurity from executives facing more pressure to monitor their organizations’ cybersecurity operations, to an unprecedented wave of consumer data privacy laws and rapid advancements in AI technology use and deployment. Indian organizations should establish best practices to address these new (and emerging) laws, regulations, and frameworks.
One Step Closer: AI Act Approved by Council of the EU
On 21 May 2024, the Council of the European Union approved the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (the “AI Act”). This is the final stage in the legislative process and comes after the EU Parliament voted to adopt the legislation on 13 March 2024. This final vote clears the path for the formal signing of the legislation and its publication in the Official Journal of the EU in the coming weeks. The AI Act will then enter into force 20 days after such publication with staggered transition periods of 6 to 36 months.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act is Approved: Key Things to Know About the UK’s New Competition and Consumer Powers
On May 23, 2024, the UK finally passed its Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act (DMCCA), introducing a new “pro-competition” regime for digital markets and marking the biggest reform to UK competition and consumer laws in a decade. The DMCCA is the latest piece of legislation aiming to tackle the power of Big Tech, as regulators around the world debate new ways to oversee competition in the digital sector.
Top 10 Questions on the EU AI Act
The EU AI Act will be the first standalone piece of legislation worldwide regulating the use and provision of AI in the EU, and will form a key consideration in AI governance programs. The AI Act will have a significant impact on many organizations inside and outside the EU, with failure to comply potentially leading to fines of up to 7% of annual worldwide turnover.
EU Formally Adopts Cyber Law for Connected Products
On 12 March 2024, the European Parliament approved the EU Cyber Resilience Act (“CRA”) with a large majority of 517-12 votes in favor of the legislation (with 78 abstentions). The CRA aims to ensure that “products with digital elements” (“PDE”) i.e., connected products such as smart devices, and remote data processing solutions, are resilient against cyber threats and provide key information in relation to their security properties.
EU Formally Adopts World’s First AI Law
On March 13, 2024, the European Parliament formally adopted the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (“AI Act”) with a large majority of 523-46 votes in favor of the legislation. The AI Act is the world’s first horizontal and standalone law governing AI, and a landmark piece of legislation for the EU.
Unofficial Final Text of EU AI Act Released
On 22 January 2024, an unofficial version of the (presumed) final EU Artificial Intelligence Act (“AI Act”) was released. The AI Act reached political agreement early December 2023 (see our blog post here) and had undergone technical discussions to finalize the text since. It was reported that the document was shared with EU Member State Representatives on 21 January 2024, ahead of a discussion within the Telecom Working Party, a technical body of the EU Council on 24 January 2024, and that formal adoption at the EU Member State ambassador level (i.e. COREPER) will likely follow on 2 February. On Friday 26 January 2024, the Belgian Presidency of the Council officially shared the (analysis of the) final compromise text of the AI Act with Member State representatives – clearly indicating that this text will be put forward for adoption.