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Showing archive for:  “Privacy & Data Security”

EU’s Cybersecurity Draft Shifts Toward Hard Protectionism

A year ago, we cautioned that the EU Cybersecurity Certification Scheme for Cloud Services (EUCS) threatened to embed ill-conceived economic protectionism into the EU’s cybersecurity rules. And, indeed, the European Commission, which has made clear its commitment to pursue “digital sovereignty” for the European Union, can claim some preliminary successes on that front. A recent ... EU’s Cybersecurity Draft Shifts Toward Hard Protectionism

The Biden Executive Order on AI: A Recipe for Anticompetitive Overregulation

The Biden administration’s Oct. 30 “Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence” proposes to “govern… the development and use of AI safely and responsibly” by “advancing a coordinated, Federal Government-wide approach to doing so.” (Emphasis added.) This “all-of-government approach,” which echoes the all-of-government approach of the 2021 “Executive ... The Biden Executive Order on AI: A Recipe for Anticompetitive Overregulation

Net Neutrality II: Electric Boogaloo—Rate Regulation Hiding in Plain Sight

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Jessica Rosenworcel on Tuesday announced the agency’s proposal to regulate internet services under Title II of the Communications Act. Commonly referred to as “net neutrality,” the chair plans to release proposed rules today, with a vote scheduled for Oct. 19 to begin the rulemaking process. Rosenworcel’s speech identified several areas ... Net Neutrality II: Electric Boogaloo—Rate Regulation Hiding in Plain Sight

The FTC Tacks Into the Gale, Battening No Hatches: Part 2

Part 1 of this piece can be found here. Emergence of the ‘Neo-Brandeisians’ Thus, matters unfolded until the curtain began to descend on the second Obama term in 2016. In the midst of presidential primary season, a targeted political challenge to the prevailing economic approach to antitrust first came to light. No one has yet ... The FTC Tacks Into the Gale, Battening No Hatches: Part 2

Will the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Bridge Hold?

With the European Commission’s recent announcement that it had deemed the revamped data-protection framework from the United States to be “adequate” under the European Union’s stringent General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the stage is set for what promises to be a legal rollercoaster in the European Court of Justice (CJEU). The Commission’s decision is certain ... Will the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Bridge Hold?

Right to Anonymous Speech, Part 1: An Introduction from First Principles

What is anonymity? Do we have a right to it? And against what other values should this right be balanced when it comes to government regulation? This blog post will be the first in a series that looks at what anonymity is, why it is important, and what tradeoffs should be considered when applying a ... Right to Anonymous Speech, Part 1: An Introduction from First Principles

Antitrust at the Agencies Roundup: The Cat’s Tuches of Summer Edition

I had thought we were in the dog days of summer, but the Farmer’s Almanac tells me that I was wrong about that. It turns out that the phrase refers to certain specific dates on the calendar, not just to the hot and steamy days that descend on the nation’s capital in . . . ... Antitrust at the Agencies Roundup: The Cat’s Tuches of Summer Edition

Norwegian Decision Banning Behavioral Advertising on Facebook and Instagram

The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (DPA) on July 14 imposed a temporary three-month ban on “behavioural advertising” on Facebook and Instagram to users based in Norway. The decision relied on the “urgency procedure” under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which exceptionally allows direct regulatory interventions by other national authorities than the authority of the country ... Norwegian Decision Banning Behavioral Advertising on Facebook and Instagram

The CJEU’s Decision in Meta’s Competition Case: Sensitive Data and Privacy Enforcement by Competition Authorities (Part 2)

Yesterday, I delved into the recent judgment in the Meta case (Case C-252/21) from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). I gave a preliminary analysis of the court’s view on some of the complexities surrounding the processing of personal data for personalized advertising under the GDPR, focusing on three lawful bases for ... The CJEU’s Decision in Meta’s Competition Case: Sensitive Data and Privacy Enforcement by Competition Authorities (Part 2)

The CJEU’s Decision in Meta’s Competition Case: Consequences for Personalized Advertising Under the GDPR (Part 1)

Today’s judgment from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Meta’s case (Case C-252/21) offers new insights into the complexities surrounding personalized advertising under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In the decision, in which the CJEU gave the green light to an attempt by the German competition authority (FCO) to ... The CJEU’s Decision in Meta’s Competition Case: Consequences for Personalized Advertising Under the GDPR (Part 1)

Antitrust at the Agencies Roundup: You Will Absolutely Work in This Town Again Edition

I mean, Alvaro. I know it was you, Alvaro. Readers might recall my recent discussion of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) new Bureau of Let’s Sue Meta, in which I covered, among other things, the commission’s proposal to modify its 2020 Decision and Order In the Matter of Facebook Inc. (now Meta). The 2020 order ... Antitrust at the Agencies Roundup: You Will Absolutely Work in This Town Again Edition

Antitrust at the Agencies Roundup: Pruning the Data Tree Edition

In my last roundup, I puzzled over the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) suit to block Amgen’s acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics. The deal involved no product overlaps whatsoever (i.e., no horizontal competition), a target firm acknowledged to have no competitors for the orphan drugs at issue, and nobody poised to enter into competition either. I won’t ... Antitrust at the Agencies Roundup: Pruning the Data Tree Edition