Utah Enacts New Consumer Privacy Act

Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed the Utah Consumer Privacy Act (UCPA) into law, making Utah the fourth US state to adopt comprehensive privacy legislation, following California in 2018, and Virginia and Colorado in 2021. The UCPA will become effective on December 31, 2023.

The UCPA applies to businesses who act either as “controllers” or “processors”, and who: (1) conduct business ...

Israeli Gov’t Probe Found Police’s Use of Spyware Compliant with Warrants

A report issued by a special investigation team found no indications that the Israel police had warrantlessly infected, or attempted to infect, smartphones with spyware. The team was assembled by the Israeli Attorney General to examine the allegations raised by the Israeli newspaper Calcalist, according to which the police perform systematic warrantless surveillance of innocent individuals using NSO’s “Pegasus” spyware. ...

Israeli Privacy Protection Authority Publishes Draft Guidelines on Data Protection in Tele-Health Services

The Israeli Privacy Protection Authority (PPA) published draft guidelines on data protection and privacy obligations in tele-health services. The guidelines are addressed to healthcare organizations, clinics, health practitioners, and relevant service providers involved in data processing operations throughout the tele-health value chain.

The draft guidelines map out the relevant privacy and data-protection-related provisions in statutes, regulations, and professional rules of ...

Artwork Created by AI Isn’t Copyrightable

Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot be considered an “author” of a copyrighted work under the copyright law of the United States, and a work created by AI cannot be copyrighted. The decision was delivered by the Copyright Review Board of the United States Copyright Office (USCO), in response to a copyright registration application filed by the owner of an AI program. ...

Microsoft Announces New Principles for App Stores

Security and privacy, accountability, Fairness and Transparency, and Developer Choice – are the four areas covered by Microsoft’s new principles for its app stores. The new principles, eleven in total, are tightly based on the Open App Markets Bill currently debated by the U.S. Senate. The principles aim to promote competition, and they outline Microsoft’s obligations towards app developers, such ...

European Commission Publishes Proposal for Regulation on Fair Access and Use of Data

The European Commission published a newly proposed regulation for data access and reuse, aimed at facilitating free access to digital data by businesses, academic institutions, public administration, consumers, and other stakeholders. The proposed regulation does not aim to govern personal data, but rather technical data.

Among other issues, the proposed regulation intends to enable consumers to freely access and use ...

European Commission Publishes Proposal for a Data Act

The European Commission published a proposal for a new regulation on fair access and use of data, aimed at facilitating free access to digital data across borders and sectors and preventing abuse of imbalances in negotiating power to ensure fairness in data sharing contracts.

The proposed regulations do not address personal data, but mainly technical data. Among other things, the ...

EU Official Calls for a Ban on NSO’s Pegasus

The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) has called for an EU-wide ban on the development and deployment of Pegasus and other spyware with similar capabilities, on account of the unprecedented risks arising from such spyware regarding the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals, particularly the right to privacy, as well as risks to democracy itself.

The EDPS clarifies that if ...