Global Data Review: Introducing the GDR 100

January 25th, 2021 | Posted by Claude-Etienne Armingaud in Privacy | Rankings | World - (0 Comments)

This article names K&L Gates among Global Data Review’s inaugural GDR 100, a ranking of the world’s best data law firms. The GDR 100 is the only global ranking that captures the capabilities, track record, and market reputation of the leading firms in the field. The ranking is based on in-depth submissions submitted by hundreds of law firms around the world, and profiles K&L Gates lawyers including Melbourne partner Cameron Abbott and Paris partner Claude-Etienne Armingaud. Read the article here (subscription required). 

GDPR/Brexit – Brexit and European Data Protection – For Auld Lang Syne, My Dear!

January 20th, 2021 | Posted by Claude-Etienne Armingaud in Data Transfer | Privacy - (0 Comments)

The European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) finally came to an agreement on 24 December 2020 (EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the Agreement), less than ten days after the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) published a statement on the consequences a no-deal situation would have on the flows of personal data between the EU and the UK (for previous coverage of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Brexit, please see our alert here). This statement has since been updated on 13 January 2021.

(more…)

GDPR/Brexit – Brexit, GDPR, and the Timeline for Data Breaches

January 19th, 2021 | Posted by Claude-Etienne Armingaud in Data Breach | Data Transfer | Europe | Privacy - (0 Comments)

As of 1 January 2021, the Brexit transition period (Transition Period) ended, and the United Kingdom (UK) officially finalized its exit from the European Union (EU) and the 11th-hour commercial agreement (Agreement) should allow for a smoother transition on the data protection front as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) stops being directly applicable to the UK. It also provided the UK with a six-month grace period to hope for an adequacy decision that would allow for the free transfer of personal data from the EU to the UK.

As the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) amended on 13 January 2021 its Brexit communications² further to the Agreement (Communications), it only addresses:

  • The issue of data transfers from the EU to the UK;
  • The end of the One-Stop-Shop (OSS) mechanism for the UK; and
  • The need for UK entities that would be subject to GDPR to appoint a representative further to Art. 27 GDPR.

However, aside from enacting the end of the OSS and commenting that “the EDPB has been liaising with the ICO [Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s Supervisory Authority] over the past months in order to enable a smooth shift to this new situation by ensuring that the EEA authorities follow a shared and efficient approach in handling the existing complaints and cross-border cases involving the ICO, whilst minimizing delays and possible inconveniences to affected complainants[,]” the EDPB did not comment on how such collaboration will effectively play out for companies whose lead Supervisory Authority was the ICO.

Read the full article on Radar First blog.