About: GDPR

Digital Brief: Estonia Special

This week, EURACTIV Digital has been in Estonia, talking to political officials, startup entrepreneurs, and purveyors of Estonia's digital revolution, as a means to map out the country's future as the EU's tech powerhouse.

Nokia in damage-control mode following Chinese data-leak probe

Nokia "mistakenly" sent customer data to China, the European telecoms giant has admitted, following the announcement of an investigation into the allegations by the Finnish data protection watchdog.

Facebook doesn’t have all the answers, says Clegg, as social media giant clamps down on political ads

Facebook users looking to run paid-for political advertisements will be required to abide by a set of new rules in the run-up to the European elections, the head of the social media giant's global affairs Nick Clegg said on Monday (28 January).

95,000 complaints issued to EU Data Protection Authorities

Recent figures issued from the European Data Protection Board to the European Commission reveal that EU Data Protection Authorities have received more than 95,000 complaints from citizens across the continent.

France hits Google with €50 million GDPR fine

By hitting Google with a fine, the French data regulatory authority has set a precedent which may rattle digital leaders across Europe - the derelictions of duty which Google is accused of in France are shared by many other operators. EURACTIV France reports.

Austrian data privacy activist files complaint against Apple, Amazon, others

Apple and Amazon are among eight tech firms named in a complaint filed in Austria by non-profit organization noyb, which cited their failure to comply with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

European consumer groups want regulators to act against Google tracking

Consumer agencies in the Netherlands, Poland and five other European Union countries asked privacy regulators on Tuesday to take action against Google for allegedly tracking the movements of millions of users in breach of the bloc's new privacy law.

Data talks not started, admits minister as UK faces EU ‘data wall’

Concerns are growing that the UK will face a post-Brexit 'data wall' that will stymie the €272 billion of trade in Europe that relies on data flows.

Facebook hit with UK’s maximum fine as EU officials praise privacy efforts

Senior EU officials extolled the successes of the bloc’s data protection regulations on Thursday (25 October), as Facebook was fined £500,000 for its part in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Apple’s Cook set to back strong privacy laws in Europe, US at Brussels event

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook is expected to praise new European privacy rules and to voice the company’s support for strong laws in Europe and the United States to protect the use of data, according to prepared remarks for delivery at a Brussels event.

US taking privacy shield deal seriously, EU officials say

The US is making a number of steps in the right direction in order to fall in line with the EU-US privacy shield agreement, EU officials said on Thursday (18 October). The comments came as the Commission entered the first round of talks for the second annual review of the pact. 

EU-US Privacy Shield review: Jourová to meet US secretary amid compliance concerns

The EU's Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová will sit down with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross on Thursday (18 October), as they launch a review of the EU-US privacy shield, while certain EU MEPs remain unconvinced by the agreement.

A ‘fifth freedom’ of the EU: MEPs back an end to data localisation

MEPs voted on Thursday to (4 October) to support the final text on the free flow of non-personal data across the EU, hailed as a potential game changer for the digital economy. The regulation was adopted with overwhelming support in the European Parliament with 520 votes to 81.

Companies may try to bypass GDPR fines by negotiating with cybercriminals, Europol say

Europol, the EU's policing agency, released a report on Tuesday (18 September) in which they warned that EU data protection laws may lead to an increase in cyber-extortion.

ePrivacy: Over-regulation or opportunity?

As debate over the draft ePrivacy Regulation resumes, it transpires that economic research from the ad tech lobby has grossly misled the European Parliament and the Council, writes Dr Johnny Ryan.

Data agreement: EU jumps into bed with Japan as tensions rise over US privacy shield

The EU will look to ensure the safe transmission of data between the bloc and Japan, Justice Commissioner Věra Jourová said on Wednesday (5 September). The announcement comes at a time the EU's other big data transmission agreement, the EU-US privacy shield, faces harsh criticism.

EU Elections 2019: Data protection a priority for next parliament, forecast shows

The next European Parliament is likely to offer citizens better protection of their data, according to a study conducted by a leading European think tank. At the same time, concerns are growing about the adequacy of an EU-US deal on exchanging personal data across the Atlantic.

Facebook under pressure for weak consumer policy

European regulators will announce next week whether they will punish Facebook for its consumer terms and conditions, after the company was warned in February that its rules do not comply with EU law.

Seek new data deal with EU immediately, MPs tell May

The UK government should immediately open talks to secure a Data Adequacy Decision from the European Commission, MPs said in a new report published on Tuesday (2 July).

Negotiators reach quick agreement on law banning data localisation

EU negotiators sealed an agreement that will allow non-personal data to move freely across the bloc and ban national laws that require companies to store data within a country’s borders.

GDPR: Time to walk the talk

The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is good news for consumers. But its promise will only materialise if industry changes its mindset about data protection and if the law is supported by a strong compliance and enforcement culture, writes Ursula Pachl.

Industry groups amp up lobby campaign to topple ePrivacy bill

Dozens of industry associations have made a last-ditch effort to water down the draft ePrivacy legislation before national telecoms ministers gather to discuss the file next week in Luxembourg.