On 12 November 2019, the EDPB published its finalised Guidelines on Territorial Scope of the GDPR (3/2018). The Guidelines aim to assist companies and supervisory authorities in determining whether a particular processing activity falls within the territorial scope of the GDPR.
The key changes to the draft Guidelines include clarification that:
The Minister of Finance has passed new Regulations, the Data Protection Act 2018 (section 60(6)) (Central Bank of Ireland) Regulations 2019, permitting data subjects’ rights under Articles 12-22 and Article 34, and controllers’ obligations under Article 5 GDPR, to be restricted to the extent necessary and proportionate to allow the Central Bank of Ireland (
The Data Protection Commission (DPC) has published guidance which seeks to answer some of the most frequently asked questions in relation to Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs). Some of the key issues addressed in the guidance are set out below:
The Government Chief Whip, Seán Kyne TD, has published the Government’s Legislation Programme for Autumn 2019. The Programme lists 32 priority Bills; 27 Bills currently before the Houses of the Oireachtas, and 69 Bills where preparatory work is underway.
The key data protection and technology-related Bills are set out below. The Programme notes that
The Minister for Social Protection, Regina Doherty, and the Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe, have informed the government that provision and use of the Public Services Card (PSC), not just by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP), but by other public bodies shall continue. The DEASP has written to the Data Protection Commission (DPC) advising it of this decision. In doing so, the Government accepts that it may be necessary for the matter to be referred to the courts for a definitive decision. The DEASP intend to publish the DPC’s investigation report following further engagement with the DPC.
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On Friday 16 August 2019, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) published its findings on certain aspects of the Public Services Card (PSC). The DPC found that seven out of eight of its findings were adverse to the positions advanced by the Department of Employment and Social Protection (DEASP) and that there is and has been non-compliance with the applicable provisions of data protection law.
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In the Fashion ID case (C-40/17) , the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) found that the operator of a website that features a plug-in (such as a Facebook ‘Like’ button), can be considered a joint controller with the plug-in provider, in respect of the collection and transmission to that plug-in provider of the personal data of visitors to its website. However the website operator will not be a joint controller or liable for any subsequent processing of the personal data by the plug-in provider.
The CJEU also held that the website operator is responsible for obtaining consent from website visitors for the collection and transmission of their personal data and providing notice to visitors about the use and disclosure of their personal data.
Although the case was decided under the the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC (the Directive), it will continue to be relevant under the GDPR, since the relevant definitions and obligations continue to apply under the new regime. The decision will have an impact not only on website operators that embed social plug-ins, but to any website operator that uses cookies to collect and transmit personal data of their visitors to third parties, such as AdTech providers.
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) has published its Annual Report covering the period from 25 May – 31 December 2018. It provides an overview of the EDPB’s activities last year, and discusses the areas it intends to focus on in 2019-2020.
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In the past two days, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued (potential) GDPR fines of £183.39m and £99.2m on British Airways (BA) and Marriott International Inc., respectively. These are the first fines to be issued by the ICO under the GDPR, and the biggest fines issued by an EU Data Protection Authority (DPA) to date. As the fines affected individuals in multiple Member States, the ‘one stop shop’ provisions in the GDPR apply, and the ICO has therefore been required to liaise with other EU DPAs.
The fines highlight the importance of companies ensuring that robust security measures are in place to protect personal data and undertaking appropriate due diligence in corporate mergers and acquisitions. As the EU DPAs are encouraged to adopt a consistent approach to the imposition of administrative fines, the ICO’s fines serve as a warning to companies of the level of GDPR fines that may be imposed by the Irish Data Protection Commission for data breaches resulting from weak security measures.
The ICO does not routinely publish notices of intent to levy a penalty, however the ICO’s policy on “Communicating Regulatory Enforcement Activity” states that such notices may be published in certain circumstances, including where the matter is already in the public domain; there are financial market reporting obligations; or it is necessary for international regulatory cooperation. The ICO statements of intent to fine BA and Marriott were issued in response to an announcement by BA to the London Stock Exchange, and a filing by Marriott with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, that the ICO intended to fine them for breaches of data protection law.
The DPC has released new CCTV Guidance to assist owners and occupiers of premises to understand their data protection obligations when using CCTV. Data controllers should already be aware that footage or images containing identifiable individuals captured by CCTV is personal data and therefore data protection laws apply.
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