If the vision of Ms. Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission, as expressed in the January 25, 2012 data protection package is implemented in a form substantially similar to that which was presented in the package, by 2015, the European Union will be operating under a single data protection law that applies directly to all entities and individuals in the Member States and will have removed much of the administrative burden that are currently costing billions of Euros to companies. The saving would allow companies to reinvest in more meaningful, efficient, data protection practices that are better adapted to the uses of personal data, the new technologies and the 21st century way of life.
Proposed EU Data Protection Regulation – January 25, 2012 Draft: What US Companies Need to Know
Friday, 27 January 2012
Proposed EU Data Protection Regulation – November 29, 2011 Draft
Tuesday, 06 December 2011
Note: This article is superseded by the more recent Proposed EU Data Protection Regulation – January 25, 2012 Draft: What US Companies Need to Know
The European Commission has just published drafts of the two documents that will form the new legal framework for the protection of personal data throughout the European Economic Area. The draft documents are intended to provide a last opportunity for comments. The final version is expected to be published during the first quarter of 2012, and will come into force two years after publication. Thus, the new rules are currently not expected to be effective before the middle of 2014.
New EU Directive on Consumer Rights Affects Website Terms
Tuesday, 08 November 2011
In late October 2011, the European Council of Ministers formally adopted the new EU Consumer Rights Directive. The new Directive will drastically affect the rules that apply to online shopping. Numerous provisions will also apply to both the online and the offline markets.
Scope of the Consumer Rights Directive
The Directive is intended to protect “consumers,” i.e., all natural persons who are acting for purposes that are outside
Child Social Networking Site Settles with FTC
Tuesday, 08 November 2011
While the COPPA Rule is going through a facelift – a final draft is expected to be published in 2012 - the FTC continues its enforcement actions against websites with lax COPPA practices. On November 8, 2011, the FTC announced a proposed settlement with the social networking site, www.skidekids.com, which collected personal information from children without obtaining prior parental consent, in violation of COPPA, and made false statements in its website privacy notice, in violation of the FTC Act.