Privacy & Information Security Law Blog

On July 16, 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China (the “MIIT”) issued a new rule entitled Provisions on the Registration of Real Identity Information of Telephone Users (the “Provisions”), which will take effect on September 1, 2013. The Provisions were issued pursuant to the Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Relating to Strengthening the Protection of Information on the Internet (the “Resolution”) and the Telecommunications Regulations of the People’s Republic of China. In April 2013, the MIIT issued a draft of the Provisions and solicited public comment.

On July 25, 2013, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced the release of the Short Form Notice Code of Conduct to Promote Transparency in Mobile App Practices, which was developed through the Privacy Multistakeholder Process: Mobile Application Transparency convened by the Department of Commerce. The voluntary Code of Conduct provides guidance regarding short-form notices about the collection and sharing of consumer information with third parties. Short-form notices that comply with the Code of Conduct generally must contain the following content:

On July 16, 2013, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China (the “MIIT”) issued a new rule entitled Provisions on the Protection of Personal Information of Telecommunications and Internet Users (the “Provisions”). The Provisions, which will take effect on September 1, 2013, are intended to implement the general requirements set forth in last December’s Resolution of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Relating to Strengthening the Protection of Information on the Internet (the “Resolution”). The Provisions are the first specific regulations concerning personal information protection by telecommunications service providers in China.

On July 22-23, 2013, the APEC E-Commerce Business Alliance and the China International Electronic Commerce Center, a subsidiary organization of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, held a seminar in Beijing entitled Workshop on the Online Data Privacy Protection in APEC Region. In addition to delegates from Mainland China, representatives from numerous other jurisdictions were in attendance, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

On July 24, 2013, the Conference of the German Data Protection Commissioners at both the Federal and State levels issued a press release stating that surveillance activities by foreign intelligence and security agencies threaten international data traffic between Germany and countries outside the EEA.

On July 18-19, 2013, the European Union Justice and Home Affairs Council held an informal meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, where Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, openly criticized the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework.

On July 12, 2013, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that she sent letters to operators of eight popular health-related websites requesting information about the websites’ online data collection practices. The Attorney General’s press release underscored how individuals’ health-related information shared online, which would be protected if disclosed in a traditional medical setting, “can be captured, shared and sold when online users enter their information into a website.” The Attorney General also stated that “website disclosure about the extent to which information is captured or shared is buried in privacy policies not found on the websites’ main pages.”

On July 30-31, 2013, the Cyber and Intelligence Committees of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) will host the 2013 AFCEA Global Intelligence Forum at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. This year’s conference theme, “Defining the Role of Intelligence for Cyber Mission,” explores how leaders in the intelligence community can work together to help “ensure free and secure cyberspace operations – from setting requirements, to collecting and analyzing data, to delivering insights and recommendations.” The conference also ...

On July 12, 2013, during the Centre for Information Policy Leadership’s First Friday call, José Alejandro Bermúdez Durana, Deputy Superintendent for Data Protection for Colombia’s Superintendency of Industry and Commerce, discussed the secondary regulations issued on June 27, 2013 to implement Colombia’s omnibus data protection law enacted in 2012. The Deputy Superintendent discussed key aspects of the regulations, and provided information regarding additional regulations that are needed to implement binding codes of conduct.

On June 25, 2013, the Belgian Data Protection Authority (the “Privacy Commission”) and the Belgian Ministry of Justice agreed on a Protocol establishing new rules for the approval of international data transfer agreements.