Scope: privacy

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The Belgian DPA rules that both controllers and processors are liable for missing DPAs

New Belgian Data Protection Authority decision: – Both the controller *and* the processor can be liable for not having a data processing agreement (DPA) in place – If you sign a DPA with “retroactivity clause” (i.e. foreseeing an earlier effective date than the signature date), that retroactivity clause does not have any effect from a […]

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Analyzing the mixed reception of the CJEU’s SRB ruling

Interestingly mixed reactions to the CJEU’s SRB ruling. Some: “nothing new!”. Others: “finally, relative nature of personal data confirmed!”. Why? The Court stated in unambiguous terms (paras. 77 + 86) that pseudonymised data can be non-personal data for a recipient if the technical and organisational measures of the pseudonymisation are effective and prevent access by […]

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Recap: LinkedIn Live debate on the SRB ruling

Amazing turnout for our LinkedIn Live on the SRB ruling – here are the slides, and the replay is available. We tackled issues surrounding the fundamental concepts of the GDPR, the scope of obligations applicable to the use of pseudonymous data, even whether AI models involve the processing of personal data, and of course the […]

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CJEU SRB judgment: a primer on the relative nature of personal data

First look at SRB, on what is “personal data” and the relative nature of the concept. This part is all about how to determine if information relates to an “identifiable” natural person. The EU Court of Justice stresses the importance, in the case of pseudonymisation, of technical and organisational measures (TOMs) “to ensure that the […]

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SRB judgment: confirming the relative concept of personal data

SRB: relative concept of personal data confirmed. [EDIT: the judgment is out and our webinar replay is linked to below] Here is a key excerpt from the press release: the Court of Justice has confirmed […] that pseudonymised data must not be regarded as constituting, in all cases and for every person, personal data for […]

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Business predictability: why the concept of “personal data” matters

Why do I keep talking about the concept of “personal data”? From cases regarding privacy-friendly analytics to cases on equipment, from user preferences to pseudonymisation, many clients come to me with practical scenarios in which the recognition of an individual is irrelevant – sometimes even the very opposite of what an organisation is trying to […]

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The Belgian DPA issues a 100k EUR fine for ignoring an access request

Belgian DPA: 100k EUR fine for a controller for not responding during 14 months to a data subject access request. [Decision of 23 August 2024; fine:

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AI models and the notion of “personal data”: a relativistic approach

While I disagree with his conclusions, do read the post of Damien Desfontaines re the BfDI’s public consultation on personal data in AI models. Pity that it ends on 31 August, with the EU Court of Justice’s SRB judgment coming out on 4 September. I hope the BfDI takes a relativistic approach to the notion […]

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Can businesses demand physical ID cards for GDPR identification checks?

A recent Amsterdam District Court judgment on whether ID cards can be requested for data subject identification raises interesting points re GDPR and data minimisation – and how controllers can reach a satisfactory level of identification. Context: – A controller (C) had 2 processes for verifying the identity of data subjects making a request: (i) […]

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Digital Fairness Act: balancing consumer protection and innovation

So the Digital Fairness Act consultation process begins, with lofty yet potentially flawed goals. The Commissions wishes to notably: – “[prevent] traders from using dark patterns and other unfair techniques that pressure, deceive and manipulate consumers online – “[address] problematic personalisation practices, including situations where consumer vulnerabilities are targeted for the purposes of personalised advertising […]

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