About: GDPR
Commission uncertain on future UK data adequacy agreement
The European Commission has said that it 'cannot predict' whether the UK will be fit for a data transfer adequacy agreement with the EU as part of ongoing negotiations on a future trade deal between the two parties.
LEAK: Commission pushes UK for ‘high degree of convergence’ in GDPR review
The European Commission will tomorrow (24 June) highlight the importance of the UK abiding by EU data protection rules as part of a future relationship between the two parties, in the first review of the landmark general data protection regulation, obtained by EURACTIV.
Crowd monitoring facial recognition tech awarded Commission seal of excellence
The European Commission has given its 'seal of excellence' to a technology that provides 'advanced video analytics, including real-time face recognition and crowd behaviour analysis,' to be used in the bloc's fight against another potential outbreak of the coronavirus.
German data protection commissioner criticises government agencies, legislative procedures
Ulrich Kelber (SPD) rarely shies away from criticising his own government in his role as Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI). During the presentation of his annual reports, he pointed out hasty procedures where data protection is at risk. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Volt MEP: Abolishing unanimity is key to making the EU more effective
The coronavirus crisis has once again shown that reforms of "the basic structure" of the EU are necessary, including abolishing unanimity in the European Council, to strengthen the EU's ability to act, German MEP Damian Boeselager (Volt) told EURACTIV Germany in an interview.
Irish data protection authority under fire over Facebook case
In an open letter, online privacy activist Max Schrems has criticised the Irish data protection commission's handling of a complaint against social media giant Facebook and called on the European Union to step in. EURACTIV Germany reports.
COVID-19 crisis could ‘kick off digital revolution in agriculture’
Digital farming is set to boom in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis, given its capacity to help the EU farming sector improve its sustainability and recover from the outbreak's impact. But there are also considerable concerns raised about the pace of this change and whether farmers are adequately prepared for it.
GDPR enforcement held back by lack of resources, report says
Enforcement of EU data privacy rules is being stifled by a lack of resources across national authorities, according to a new study published today (25 May), on the second anniversary of the EU's landmark general data protection regulation (GDPR).
Irish regulator reaches preliminary decision in Twitter privacy probe
Twitter may be the first big technology firm to face a fine by the EU’s lead regulator under the region’s tougher data protection rules after it submitted a preliminary decision in a probe into the social media firm to other member states.
EU data watchdog ‘very worried’ by Hungary’s GDPR suspension
The European Data Protection Board, the EU's umbrella organisation overseeing the application of EU data protection rules on the bloc, has voiced its concern over the suspension of EU data protection rights in Hungary.
Austrian ministry could face GDPR penalty after publishing personal data online
Austrians' personal data has been publicly accessible on the Ministry of Economy's website since 2009. The liberal party NEOS and NGO epicenter.works call it the "biggest data protection scandal of the Second Republic." NEOS is considering legal action and a GDPR expert told EURACTIV Germany it could be successful.
UK video games to deliver ‘geotargeted’ COVID-19 warnings to players
The UK's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced a partnership with a contingency of the UK’s leading video games firms to deliver in-game coronavirus warnings to players.
Commission to probe COVID-19 apps in Europe
The European Commission is monitoring the use of mobile applications used in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic to make sure that the bloc's "values and rules" are not being infringed upon, Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said on Thursday (2 April).
Privacy activists on COVID-19 surveillance: Either ineffective or questionable
In Germany and Austria, there are concrete ideas to monitor their citizens using Big Data, but to be truly effective, the methods would have to be deeply invasive. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EU’s Breton defends COVID-19 telecoms data acquisition plans
The European Commission's Internal Market chief Thierry Breton has defended plans to obtain mobile data from EU telecom firms during the coronavirus outbreak, saying the acquisition of certain datasets allows for a clearer reading of "the impact of the confinement measures taken by member states."
Employers accused of abusing EU data privacy rules to hinder trade unions
The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is being misused by employers across Europe as trade unions are denied access to information required to recruit and organise workers, a new study has found.
EU privacy rules no obstacle to coronavirus fight; smartphone tracking a no-no
Europe’s privacy rulebook does not create obstacles to taking action to curb the coronavirus epidemic but mass tracking of people’s movements and contacts using smartphone location data would represent a clear violation.
The ePrivacy Regulation saga three years on
EURACTIV takes a look at what has happened during the three years while the Commission’s proposal has been stuck in the legislative process. The Croatian Presidency is the latest member state with responsibility to resolve the ePrivacy Regulation conundrum. The...
Ensuring data sovereignty ‘major challenge’ for European farmers
The virtues of digital farming have been extolled by many, including the European Commission and industry voices. But, as a recent situation in the US demonstrates, digital farming carries concerns which requires careful consideration.
‘Prepare for all eventualities’ on UK-EU data transfers, EDPS says
There could be a series of 'obstacles' in terms of securing an EU-UK adequacy agreement on post-Brexit data transfers and the bloc should therefore 'take steps to prepare for all eventualities,' the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has said this week.
Microsoft ‘in discussions’ with Germans on Gaia-X participation
Microsoft has revealed it has been holding talks with the German Economy Ministry over whether the company could be contracted as a supplier for Gaia-X, the ambitious European cloud network infrastructure initiative.
Google confirms plans to move UK users’ accounts outside EU jurisdiction
Google is planning to move its British users' accounts out of the control of European Union privacy regulators, placing them under US jurisdiction instead, the company confirmed late on Wednesday (19 February).
Von der Leyen opens the doors for an EU data revolution
The EU is set to exploit the "untapped potential" of vast troves of industrial and sectoral data, allowing public and private actors "easy access" to huge reserves of information, the European Commission announced on Wednesday (19 February).