Data Protection in the News - January 2021

Expert commentary from Tim Lennard with a roundup of recent data privacy stories
from around the globe

Big news items in Europe included the closure of negotiations of the exit of the UK from the EU, including a four-month window into 2021 to allow continued uninterrupted flow of personal data between the UK and the EU; that window to enable a stable and longer-term agreement. 

UK-based data controllers have line of sight to potential outcomes and related short-term implications of BREXIT. On the related theme of data transfers, discussions continue in the US and EU to explore how to fix the broken US Privacy Shield Model. In both the EU and US, privacy agendas continue to gain ground, the EU tabling a Digital Services Act and revised draft of ePR, and speculation that 2021 could be the year when state initiatives pressure the US Government into federal legislation.

Meanwhile the big tech companies continue to attempt to fend off litigation around the globe with regard to their data harvesting practices, and Google and Apple spar over technologies that enable the ad tech markets and their respective revenue streams.

China extends its data privacy laws, as does Canada, bringing them closer to the European GDPR. 2021 promises to maintain momentum of data privacy requirements and further alignment in approach across global jurisdictions.

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