Trump Issues Cloud EO; Its Fate Is Unclear

On the last full day of his administration, then President Donald Trump issued an executive order (EO) “to address the use of United States Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) products by foreign malicious cyber actors.” This EO follows an Obama Administration EO that set up a formal structure to sanction foreign entities for “significant malicious … Continue reading Trump Issues Cloud EO; Its Fate Is Unclear →

New Section 230 Bill Would Make Platforms Liable For Civil Rights Violations

A senior Democratic Member of the primary committee of jurisdiction over 47 USC 230 (aka Section 230) has floated a discussion draft that would remove liability protection for technology companies for targeted advertising that violates civil rights laws. This bill is likely one of the opening salvos in the coming war on Capitol Hill between … Continue reading New Section 230 Bill Would Make Platforms Liable For Civil Rights Violations →

Wyden Gets DIA To Acknowledge Buying Location Data

Another agency admits to buying and using smartphone location data, using a loophole in the Fourth Amendment. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has again prompted a national security agency to admit it is circumventing the Fourth Amendment bar against unreasonable searches and seizures in the United States (U.S.) However, given the current state of Fourth Amendment … Continue reading Wyden Gets DIA To Acknowledge Buying Location Data →

EDPB and EDPS Issue Opinions On EC’s Draft SCCs

The EU’s two bloc-wide data protection entities weighed in on the EC’s proposed changes to SCCs, meant to satisfy the Schrems II ruling. The European Union’s (EU) data protection authorities have rendered their joint opinions on the European Commission’s (EC) draft revisions of Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) permissible under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). … Continue reading EDPB and EDPS Issue Opinions On EC’s Draft SCCs →

FCC Denies Trump Administration’s Request To Block Ligado

The FCC denies the NTIA petition, but language in the FY 2021 NDAA all but pauses the project. Earlier this month, the Trump Administration’s Federal Communications Commission (FCC) denied the petition to stay submitted by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to stop the FCC’s April 2020 decision to let Ligado proceed with “a … Continue reading FCC Denies Trump Administration’s Request To Block Ligado →

ePrivacy Exception Proposed

Late last month, a broad exception to the EU’s privacy regulations became effective. My apologies. The first version of this post erroneously asserted the derogation to the ePrivacy Directive had been enacted. It has not, and this post has been re-titled and updated to reflect this fact. As the European Union (EU) continues to work … Continue reading ePrivacy Exception Proposed →

Chopra Named CFPB Head

The CFPB will undoubtedly be a more muscular enforcer of financial services entities under the FTC Commissioner nominated to head the agency, including with respect to privacy, data security, and cybersecurity. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Rohit Chopra has been tapped by President-elect Joe Biden to lead the agency at which he oversaw the student … Continue reading Chopra Named CFPB Head →

Australia Releases A Pair Of New Technology Laws

The Morrison government continues to take the lead in technology policy with new bill to expand surveillance powers. With the introduction of last month’s “Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020” last month, the government in Canberra is once again pushing technology policy for the Five Eyes nations and others. However, in doing so, … Continue reading Australia Releases A Pair Of New Technology Laws →