China Continues to Tighten Data Privacy Regulation

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) published for public comments, new draft guidelines for the cross-border transfer of data. The draft guidelines impose a comprehensive security review obligation on companies who: (1) process personal data of over a million data subjects; (2) process personal data collected or generated by the operators of “critical information infrastructure”; (3) transfer important data; or ...

The FTC Warns Businesses Against Posting Fake Reviews and Endorsements

The United States Federal Trade Commission has put on notice of potential offense over 700 companies and businesses, including tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. The FTC warned the companies that their use of fake reviews and misleading endorsements may lead to fines of up to 43,000 dollars.

The FTC may impose fines for the following deceptive practices, ...

EDPB Adopts Guidelines on Restrictions on Data Subjects Rights Under GDPR

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) adopted Guidelines 10/2020 on restrictions under Article 23 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Article 23 permits the EU Member States to impose restrictions on data subject rights, as long as they maintain the essence of the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals and are necessary and proportionate.

According to the guidelines, the ...

Florida’s New DNA Privacy Protection Act Takes Effect

Florida’s new Protecting DNA Privacy Act, which aims to limit the collection, retention, analysis, and disclosure of DNA samples and DNA analysis results, entered into effect at the beginning of October. The Act, signed into law last June, states that the use of an individual’s DNA sample without their consent constitutes a criminal offense.

According to the Act, a person ...

The Dutch Antitrust Authority Announces that Apple’s Payment Policy is Anti-Competitive

The Dutch Antitrust authority announced that it has found Apple’s App Store payment policy, which requires app developers to exclusively implement Apple’s in-app payment system, to be anti-competitive. Apple charges a fee of 15%-30% from app operators when they use its in-app payment system.

The Dutch regulator’s investigation into Apple commenced after a complaint was filed by Match Group, the ...

South Korea: Government Shared Facial Images of Travelers with AI Companies

According to government documents disclosed this month, the South Korean Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has shared with companies engaging in artificial intelligence approximately 170 million facial images of local and foreign travelers in the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, without obtaining their consent. The biometric data that the MOJ shared was intended to assist the AI companies in developing a ...

Dozens of Cyber Attacks on Israel; Major Hospital’s Systems Down Due to Attack

Dozens of cyber-attacks and attempted cyber-attacks against various Israeli institutions and companies were uncovered in October. In one of these events, the computer systems of a major Israeli hospital were completely crippled, and medical staff was forced to document procedures and medical records by handwritten notes.

Nine other hospitals in Israel were attacked as well, but the Israel National Cyber ...

New U.S. Treasury Sanctions Aim to Counter Cryptocurrency Ransomware Payments

The U.S. Department of Treasury announced it will begin imposing sanctions, including fines and other penalties, on platforms that facilitate digital payments to hackers. The sanctions are intended to block this channel of payment in an attempt to eradicate the use of digital payments in ransomware attacks and other illicit activities which have become increasingly common in recent years. This ...