Data protection

All news and posts of our editorial team on the topic

Data protectionists criticize chat surveillance proposal
The EU wants to better combat Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) on the Internet. To this end, it also wants to be able to read private chats. Concerns have now been expressed by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), which have submitted a joint opinion. There had previously […] continue reading →
Meta’s hopes for TADPF
Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp parent Meta has issued an even more urgent warning than before in its stock market reporting obligations that the pending decision by Ireland’s data protection regulator could jeopardize its European business. Meta expects the decision “no earlier than the third quarter of 2022”. The Group is hoping for the announced new […] continue reading →
Facebook shutdown remains a long way off
The Irish data protection regulator has sent its draft decision on Facebook to its counterparts in the EU. Meta could be prohibited from transferring EU data to the US. Yet that's unlikely to happen in the short-term. And the social media advertising giant's temporary shore of salvation is already in sight. continue reading →
Privacy by default: Google under consumer protection fire
Important legal issues surrounding the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on data protection by default and by design will soon occupy data protection supervisory authorities and courts. Several consumer protection organizations are taking action against the Alphabet subsidiary Google in a coordinated campaign with various legal remedies. The reason, according to consumer […] continue reading →
Luxembourg data protection regulator introduces GDPR-CARPA certification
In the future, Luxembourg-based data processors will be able to subject themselves to a certification mechanism. This is intended to certify highly GDPR-compliant data processing. At a conference on Tuesday, the Luxembourg data protection supervisory authority Commission nationale pour la protection des données (CNPD) presented its GDPR-CARPA mechanism. This makes the Grand Duchy’s data protection […] continue reading →
ECJ: processing of passenger data ‘limited to what is strictly necessary’
The processing of passenger data by EU states must be limited to what is absolutely necessary for the fight against terror, according to a ruling by the European Court of Justice. In addition, the European high court made it clear in Tuesday’s ruling that the processing of data on flights within the EU violates EU […] continue reading →
EU justice ministers: data transfer pact with USA possible in early 2023
The European Union and United States may be able to clinch a data transfer deal in the first quarter of 2023 to replace the pact scrapped by Europe’s top court two years ago, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders said on Thursday. Europe’s top court in 2020 took the side of Austrian privacy activist Max […] continue reading →
Hotly debated topic: the EU Health Data Space
For Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas, the European Health Data Space is "a milestone for our digital transformation and a real revolution in European medical history". Here in Germany, the announced revolution must first show whether it can stand up to the German reality of digitization. continue reading →
The data privacy advisor
“Why didn’t I become a classic lawyer? They like to argue too much and have to represent their clients’ points of view in court that they wouldn’t represent themselves,” explains Steffen Weiß. It’s different for him. Although he is also a lawyer, as Legal Counsel Data Protection at the Gesellschaft für Datenschutz und Datensicherheit (GDD) […] continue reading →
Massive criticism of Johansson child protection proposal
The proposal presented on Wednesday to combat child abuse depictions on the Internet by EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson (Europe.Table reported) is drawing massive criticism. The Federal Data Protection Commissioner, Ulrich Kelber, announced that, after initial examination, he would advocate “that the regulation does not come in this form”. Kelber sees the Commission’s […] continue reading →
Pegasus spyware: Spanish prime minister and defense minister affected
According to government sources, the Pegasus spy software from the Israeli manufacturer NSO Group has been found on the cell phone of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Presidential Minister Felix Bolanos told a news conference Sanchez’s phone was infected in May 2021 and at least one data leak occurred then. The program was also found […] continue reading →
Data protection law: associations have license to sue
The Federal Court of Justice had wanted to see it differently, but now the judges in Luxembourg have clarified the matter: member states may grant qualified organizations such as consumer associations standing to sue in the enforcement of the General Data Protection Regulation. The ruling provides another building block in enforcement – and one industry, in particular. It is likely to feel the consequences soon. continue reading →
Digital Markets Act: Experts warn of loophole
Numerous renowned experts have called on the European Parliament and the Council to close a possible loophole in the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The omission of a specific wording raises “fears that fundamental rights to data protection and privacy will be undermined” and that large digital corporations could further consolidate their market power, contrary to […] continue reading →
TADPF: Data protection authorities formulate key points
In a decision published yesterday, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) welcomed the political agreement for a Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework (TADPF). The new regulation on a legal basis for the transfer of personal and person-related data from the EU to the US had been approved a few days ago on the sidelines of Joe […] continue reading →
Shortcomings in data protection: Commission takes action against Berlin
The EU Commission is taking action against Germany for shortcomings in data protection. The Brussels-based authority announced on Wednesday that it had decided to initiate so-called infringement proceedings. Specifically, the case involves the fact that Germany has not yet notified the EU Commission of measures to implement the EU directive on data protection in law […] continue reading →
Data retention: another no from the ECJ – with a big but
The data retention of connection data for all mobile connections and location data, which has been controversial for years, once again had to be decided by the European Court of Justice. The ECJ judges further specified why general data retention is impermissible – but at the same time they opened up some major loopholes. continue reading →
Frederick Richter: ‘Pragmatic solutions in data protection’
Anyone searching for Frederick Richter on the Internet will find almost exclusively professional information about him. In most photos, he wears a tie – except in an interview conducted from his home office in Berlin. Here he can be seen without a tie, with a painting in the background and a porcelain stag on the […] continue reading →
Privacy Shield works after all – in the US
The European Court of Justice declared the Privacy Shield agreement on the transatlantic transfer of personal data invalid in 2020. Since then, intensive negotiations have been underway on a modified new version. But on the other side of the Atlantic, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has now opened proceedings against the former owners of CafePress, […] continue reading →