U.S. Congress Presents a Federal Bipartisan Privacy Bill

A group of bipartisan legislators presented a new congressional privacy bill in early June. The bill, if enacted, would pre-empt most state data privacy laws. The bill also would allow individuals to opt out of targeted advertisement and to assert legal claims against companies who unlawfully sell their data, among other things. This is the first major step toward a ...

U.S. DoJ Revises Prosecutorial Guidelines for the CFAA

A revision to the U.S. Department of Justice’s guidelines on prosecuting violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) emphasizes that those conducting security research in good faith will not be prosecuted, even where their activities amount to accessing computers “without authorization” under the CFAA. Yet the policy clarifies that asserting to be engaged in security research is not ...

Petition to Israel’s High Court of Justice to Ban the Bulk Collection of Telecom Data

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel asserted a petition with the High Court of Justice to judicially amend the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) Law, 5762-2002, to limit the ISA’s surveillance authority regarding telecommunication data granted to it under the law. The petition was filed following the revelation that the ISA had used its powers under the law to surveil ...

Israeli Population Authority Unlawfully Transferred Biometric Data

A recent report by the Biometric Applications Commissioner reveals that the Population and Immigration Authority has been unlawfully transferring millions of facial images of Israeli residents to an unnamed public agency over the past seven years. According to the report, the facial images were transferred as part of ongoing work processes in the border control system. While the recipient agency ...

EDPB Publishes Draft Guidelines on Use of Facial Recognition Technology in Law Enforcement

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) published for public comments draft guidelines on the use of facial recognition technology (FTR) by law enforcement authorities. According to the EDPB’s draft guidelines, an increasing number of law enforcement authorities use or intend to use FRT for various purposes, including searching for individuals on police watch lists or monitoring individuals’ movements in public ...

Twitter to Pay $150 Million to Settle FTC Charges

Twitter has agreed to pay a $150 million fine to settle allegations that it had violated the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules by using personal data for targeted advertising without obtaining users’ prior consent, for over six years. In addition to the monetary fine, the social media giant was ordered to change its practices to comply with the law.

According ...

Deliberations Begin on the Amendment to the Israeli Privacy Protection Law

The Israeli Parliament’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee commenced its deliberations on the 14th amendment to the Israeli Privacy Protection (PPL). The comprehensive amendment seeks to revise the definitions of some of the PPL’s key terms, expand the Privacy Protection Authority’s (PPA) enforcement powers, and downscale the antiquated obligation to register databases with the PPA.

The two sessions held ...

European Council Adopts the Data Governance Act

The European Council announced that it has approved the Data Governance Act, aimed at improving the availability of data and promoting data sharing between individuals, the private sector, and the public sector. The Act will enter into force within 15 months.

The Act establishes mechanisms for the safe reuse of certain categories of public-sector data (which complement the 2019 Open ...