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Showing archive for:  “Privacy & Data Security”

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

Biweekly FTC Roundup: Bureau of Let’s-Sue-Meta Edition

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) might soon be charging rent to Meta Inc. The commission earlier this week issued (bear with me) an “Order to Show Cause why the Commission should not modify its Decision and Order, In the Matter of Facebook, Inc., Docket No. C-4365 (July 27, 2012), as modified by Order Modifying Prior Decision and Order, In ... Biweekly FTC Roundup: Bureau of Let’s-Sue-Meta Edition

Artificial Intelligence Meets Organic Folly

In a May 3 op-ed in The New York Times, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan declares that “We Must Regulate A.I. Here’s How.” I’m concerned after reading it that I missed both the regulatory issue and the “here’s how” part, although she does tell us that “enforcers and regulators must be vigilant.” Indeed, ... Artificial Intelligence Meets Organic Folly

Four Horsemen of the Bureaucratic Apocalypse Come for AI

Four prominent horsemen of the Biden administration’s bureaucratic apocalypse—the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) Civil Rights Division (DOJ), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)—came together April 25 to issue a joint statement pledging vigorous enforcement against illegal activity perpetrated through the use of artificial intelligence ... Four Horsemen of the Bureaucratic Apocalypse Come for AI

The AI Act and Regulatory Overaggregation

It appears that the emergence of ChatGPT and other artificial-intelligence systems has complicated the European Union’s efforts to implement its AI Act, mostly by challenging its underlying assumptions. The proposed regulation seeks to govern a diverse and rapidly growing AI landscape. In reality, however, there is no single thing that can be called “AI.” Instead, the category comprises ... The AI Act and Regulatory Overaggregation

GDPR Decision Against Meta Highlights that Privacy Regulators Don’t Understand ‘Necessity’

The €390 million fine that the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) levied last week against Meta marks both the latest skirmish in the ongoing regulatory war on the use of data by private firms, as well as a major blow to the ad-driven business model that underlies most online services.  More specifically, the DPC was ... GDPR Decision Against Meta Highlights that Privacy Regulators Don’t Understand ‘Necessity’