About: General Data Protection Regulation

French data protection watchdog: Tweaking Google Analytics won’t make it legal
Google Analytics' use is not legal without a new deal that would replace the disgraced EU-US data processing agreement, French data watchdog CNIL recently clarified on its website, which also dashed hopes that the tool could be reconfigured to allow data transfers to the US.
No French election campaign website is fully GDPR-compliant
French campaign websites fail to meet EU personal data protection standards, with President Emmanuel Macron's - who recently announced his re-election run - performing the worst. EURACTIV France reports.
Google Analytics’ competitors foretaste business boost following privacy debacles
Alternatives to Google Analytics could stand to benefit if the rest of the EU decides - like the Austrian and French data protection authorities already have - that the tool can no longer be used because it does not comply with EU privacy standards.
Habeck and Le Maire unfazed by Facebook’s withdrawal threats from the EU
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck and his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire seemed unimpressed on Monday (7 February) by digital giant Meta's threat of possibly withdrawing Facebook and Instagram from the EU, repeating that data should not be handed over without control.
France may soon decide on legality of Google Analytics use
After having been ruled incompatible with EU law by Austria's data watchdog two weeks ago, Google Analytics is now under fire in France, whose own data watchdog has been asked to check whether the tool goes against EU law.
French privacy watchdog fines Facebook and Google over cookie tracking rules
France's data protection watchdog known as the CNIL fined Facebook and Google €60 million and €150 million, respectively, on Thursday (6 December) in its latest crackdown against tech giants violating cookie tracking rules. EURACTIV France reports.
French AI strategy: Tech sector to receive over €2 bln in next 5 years
A total of more than €2 billion in public and private funding will be poured into French tech over the next five years to create future champions at the national and European levels, according to phase two of the national AI strategy presented by government ministers on Monday (8 November).
Austrian court refers Schrems’ Facebook complaint to EU Court
Austria's Supreme Court has asked the EU Court of Justice for clarification on the legality of Facebook's processing of personal data after data protection activist Max Schrems brought a case before it. The Court in Luxembourg will now decide whether the US giant respected the GDPR since it came into force in 2018.
German data watchdogs welcome end of ‘forum shopping’ under GDPR regime
Germany's data protection authorities have welcomed a ruling by the EU Court of Justice that gives national authorities more leeway in taking action against online platforms data branches under urgency provisions of the EU data protection framework. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Facebook to Irish data body: 533 million user breach took place before GDPR
Facebook has told the Irish Data Protection Commission that a breach involving the personal information of 533 million users worldwide took place prior to the entry into force of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation in 2018, and the company...
EU data watchdog has ‘critical concerns’ with Parliament’s biometric register
The European Union's institutional data protection watchdog has voiced 'critical concerns' about the European Parliament's plans to install a biometric register that will allow EU lawmakers to collect their daily allowance and sign in for hearings on the Brussels premises.
Portuguese Presidency rebuts Vestager’s concerns about ePrivacy proposal
The Portuguese Presidency of the EU has rebutted claims from the Commission's Executive Vice-President for Digital, Margarethe Vestager, that the country's prosed text for the ePrivacy regulation poses a risk to EU data protection standards as outlined in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Google challenges French data watchdog’s €100 million fine in court
France's administrative court known as the Council of State considered on Thursday an application for interim measures filed by Google LLC and Google Ireland after the French Data Protection Authority known as the CNIL fined the digital giant €100 million last December for its cookie collection policy. EURACTIV France was at the hearing.
Revealed: Portugal’s plans to conclude ePrivacy saga
The Portuguese presidency of the EU has pitched a new text on the controversial ePrivacy regulation, focusing on the processing of communications metadata and data stored on end-user equipment, according to the latest proposal, obtained by EURACTIV.
Twitter data breach decision due on December 17: Irish data regulator
Despite "very divergent views" between EU data protection authorities over a case of data breaches by Twitter, a final decision on the bloc's first major cross-border online privacy case is due to be published on December 17th, it has been revealed.
German Presidency charts new COVID19 ‘metadata’ rules in leaked ePrivacy text
The German EU Council presidency is seeking to permit the processing of metadata in online communications for 'monitoring epidemics' or to help in 'natural or man-made disasters,' according to a leaked text on the ePrivacy regulation obtained by EURACTIV.
EP’s COVID website overrun with US web trackers, MEP raises data concerns
The European Parliament's coronavirus test management website is overrun with user tracking requests, some of which are attempting to siphon data to US-based firms at a time in which the future of transatlantic data flows is far from clear.
Commission must refuse UK data adequacy, rights group says
The European Commission should not grant the UK a data adequacy agreement as part of its ongoing assessment of the country's data protection landscape, an Irish civil rights group has said.
MEPs furious over Commission’s ambiguity on Clearview AI scandal
The European Commission's lack of substantial response to concerns over the use of Clearview AI technology by EU law enforcement authorities has drawn the ire of MEPs on the European Parliament's Civil Liberties committee.
Commission will ‘not exclude’ potential ban on facial recognition technology
The European Commission has not ruled out a future ban on the use of facial recognition technology in Europe, as the EU executive mulls the findings of a recent public consultation on Artificial Intelligence.
Schrems charts US surveillance pushback after ECJ ruling
Silicon Valley should seek to further distance itself from a culture of surveillance established by US law, Austrian privacy activist Max Schrems has said ahead of a key ruling on global data flows later this week.
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.