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The EDPB released guidance last month to help companies understand their obligations when using newer tracking tools. These include pixels, URL tracking, IP-tracking, and the like. First, some background: an EU law that predates GDPR (Directive 2002/58/EC or the Cookie Directive), impacted how companies could interact with users on their computers. That directive was updated in 2009 (Directive 2009/136/EC or the ePrivacy Directive). Under the ePrivacy Directive, among other things, companies cannot “store” or “access” someone’s “terminal equipment” without consent. (There are some exceptions to the consent requirement.) In this recent guidance, the EDPB provided direction on when and whether passive tracking technologies were storing or accessing information on a users’ computer (or other device) such that the ePrivacy Directive requirements would apply.Continue Reading EDPB Provides Insight for Use of Tracking Tools

New York Attorney General Letitia James recently released guidance for businesses and consumers about website tracking technologies. The consumer guide provided examples of common cookies, tracking technologies, and how consumers can manage both. The business guide lists steps the AG expects companies to take to avoid misleading or deceiving consumers in violation of New York’s deceptive trade practices law.Continue Reading NY AG Releases Website Privacy Guides for Businesses and Consumers

New York’s governor recently signed the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act. Although signed, the law will not be effective until after the New York Attorney General creates implementing regulations. The law is aimed at protecting children under 18 from social media companies’ “addictive feeds.” Addictive feeds are defined to include platforms and services that recommend content based on information from the user’s activity or device. Among other things, the law will:Continue Reading New York Law Seeks to Regulate Addictive Social Media Feeds

Much of the focus on US privacy has been US state laws, and the potential of a federal privacy law. This focus can lead one to forget, however, that US privacy and data security law follows a patchwork approach both at a state level and a federal level. “Comprehensive” privacy laws are thus only one piece of the puzzle. There are federal and state privacy and security laws that apply based on a company’s (1) industry (financial services, health care, telecommunications, gaming, etc.), (2) activity (making calls, sending emails, collecting information at point of purchase, etc.), and (3) the type of individual from whom information is being collected (children, students, employees, etc.). There have been developments this year in each of these areas.Continue Reading Mid-Year Recap: Think Beyond US State Laws!

The Biden Administration recently issued an Executive Order aimed at protecting American’s sensitive information and certain US Government data from threats posed by foreign actors. Of note is the Order’s focus on data brokers that may share data in bulk with foreign entities and/or individuals.Continue Reading New Program Under Biden Executive Order to Prevent Access to American’s Sensitive Personal Data by Foreign Actors

Florida recently passed a new law and Utah recently repealed and replaced its previously enjoined law with two new bills (available here and here), which regulate minors’ access to social media platforms. The laws highlight states’ continued efforts to protect minors in the social media realm.Continue Reading Mother May I? Florida and Utah Recently Passed Regulations for Minor Use of Social Media Platforms

Earlier this month the UK privacy office put a stop to several related entities’ use of facial recognition technologies and fingerprint monitors for their employees. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office found that the companies were using the tools to monitor attendance. However, the ICO felt that the companies could have used “less intrusive technologies” -like fobs or ID cards- to accomplish the same goals. In reaching its conclusion the ICO noted that employees were allegedly not given a meaningful choice, given the “imbalance of power” between the employer and the employee. And as such employees were made to feel, the ICO believed, that clocking in and out with facial recognition/fingerprint scanning was “a requirement in order to get paid.”Continue Reading ICO Has Concerns Over Facial Recognition Use

The UK Information Commissioner’s Office recently reported that it is continuing its review of website cookie banners. It had expressed concern late last year that these banners were not giving “fair choices” because they did not make it as easy for users to reject all advertising cookies as it was for users to accept all. The ICO reached out to 53 companies and has now indicated that it will be reaching out to more companies: 100 at a time. To conduct its review, it will run a hackathon this year to develop an AI tool to comb the web for “noncompliant” banners.Continue Reading UK ICO Uses AI In Cookie Banner Review

The CPPA, the California regulatory body charged with enforcing CCPA, recently released draft regulations for use of automated decisionmaking technology. The draft comes under the law’s requirements for the agency to issue regulations on the topic. Under the law, automated decisionmaking technology is discussed in relation to profiling. Profiling is defined as “any form of automated processing of personal information” to analyze or predict people’s work performance, health, personal preferences, and the like. However, what constitutes “automated decisionmaking technology” is not defined.Continue Reading California Releases Automated Decision Rules in Draft

New York’s Local Law 144 of 2021 will finally go into effect on July 5, 2023, after several delays. As we previously discussed, the law requires employers to provide candidates for employment and promotion with notice about the use of an AI system, offer them an opt out, and audit any such systems for bias. The law is intended to benefit job applicants and may provide useful guidance for employers who wish to use AI to help eliminate workplace bias.Continue Reading NY AI Laws Going Live Next Month

The Connecticut governor recently signed SB 1103, bringing the state into the artificial intelligence regulation fray. The law regulates state agencies, and calls on the Department of Administrative Services to perform regular assessments of systems use by these agencies. The assessment is to identify which systems use artificial intelligence and to ensure that the use does not result in unlawful discrimination or disparate impacts. The systems inventory must be conducted by December 31 of this year, and the assessment by February 1, 2024. These inventories and assessments must thereafter be conducted on an annual basis.Continue Reading Connecticut Enters AI Fray