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Gretchen A. Ramos is Global Co-Chair of the Data, Privacy & Cybersecurity Practice. Gretchen is a creative problem-solver that various large tech clients rely on to handle their most challenging data protection issues. Clients appreciate not only her legal skills, but also her direct, no-nonsense approach in providing advice. She works closely with her clients to manage data and leverage its value in ways to meet compliance obligations, as well as deliver value to the business and instill consumer trust.

One week into the final month of what has been a memorable 2020, maintaining an organization’s privacy hygiene is more pressing than ever – and includes new requirements.

From privacy policy updates mandated by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), to all businesses needing to stay current and non-deceptive in their public disclosures in relation

On Nov. 17, 2020, the Canadian government introduced the Digital Charter Implementation Act, 2020 (DCIA, or Bill C-11), a much-anticipated bill aimed at overhauling the country’s comprehensive private sector data privacy legal regime. As introduced by Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Navdeep Bains, the DCIA would establish a new privacy law

On 12 November 2020 the Commission of the European Union (EU) published two draft implementing decisions – one containing a draft new set of standard contractual clauses for transfers of personal data from the EU to third countries (the Cross-Border SCCs), and one containing a draft of new standard contractual clauses for certain clauses in

* Please note, post publication the EDPB extended the deadline for public comments on the Supplementary Transfer Measures Recommendations to Dec 21, 2020.

On Nov. 11, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) published Supplementary Transfer Measures Recommendations and Surveillance Recommendations.

Click here to read the full GT Alert, “EDPB Guidance on Supplementary Transfer

With 72% of the vote in, 56.1% of Californians have voted in favor of Proposition 24, making it likely that the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (CPRA) will pass. The CPRA – a ballot initiative – will usher in material amendments to the existing California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Proponents have argued that the

Notwithstanding a two-month-long pandemic shutdown, a wave of new legislation has flooded the halls of the California legislature, including four discreet privacy-related bills, each with different objectives and consequences. Upon the closing of the signature period, Gov. Newsom signed only two of the bills into law, vetoing the other two.

Read the full GT Alert,

On Aug. 30, 2020, the California legislature passed Assembly Bill 1281 (AB-1281), which would extend the exemptions for “employee” information and business-to-business (B2B) transactions from its original expiration date of Jan. 1, 2021, to Jan. 1, 2022, if approved by the governor.

Read the full GT Alert, “Extension to CCPA’s Employment and

In a major plot twist over the last few days, Brazil’s new General Data Protection Law (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais) – Law No. 13,709/2018 (LGPD) will take effect in two short weeks, after a last-minute decision not to delay its rollout.

The Background: A Very Brief Overview of the LGPD

The LGPD is similar to the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), applying data protection obligations to companies processing personal data regarding Brazilian residents. Among other requirements, the LGPD requires certain legal bases for processing data and provides Brazilian residents with many enumerated rights over their personal data. For a helpful overview of the LGPD’s provisions, including the individual rights, legal bases for processing, and sanctions as enumerated in the legislation, see GT Alert, 6 Months Until Brazil’s LGPD Takes Effect – Are You Ready?
Continue Reading Brazil’s Data Protection Law Will Be Effective After All, But Enforcement Provisions Delayed Until August 2021

On August 14, 2020, the California Attorney General (AG) announced that the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) regulations, which will take effect immediately. The OAL’s approval concludes the expedited review process requested by the AG on June 1. For more information on the review process, see GT’s June

The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)’s historic decision in Schrems II, in which the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield was invalidated, requires businesses to rethink the mechanism they can rely on to transfer personal data from the EU to the United States and other countries. After several EU data protection authorities (DPAs) published their reactions, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), an association comprising, inter alia, national DPAs of all EU Member States, presented its guidance in form of an FAQ.

At the time of its publication, the guidance comprises 12 FAQs. It will be updated with further analysis. While the EDPB notes that supplementary measures may be necessary when using standard contractual clauses (SCCs), it fails to specify what that means but promises to provide more guidance in the future. Summarized below are the key takeaways from the EDPB’s guidance.
Continue Reading EDPB Issues Data Transfer FAQs in the Post Privacy Shield Area