The European Data Protection Board is expected to approve a joint opinion with the European Data Protection Supervisor on the European Commission's proposed digital omnibus package with GDPR reform at its plenary on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the agenda.
GDPR
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the European Union’s landmark privacy law governing how organizations collect, process and protect personal data. In effect since 2018 it applies to any entity handling EU residents’ information regardless of where the company is based and imposes strict requirements around consent, transparency, data minimization and user rights. GDPR enforcement has led to billions in fines against global companies setting a high bar for compliance frameworks worldwide and influencing privacy legislation in the U.S. and other regions.
The U.K. ICO fined MediaLab, owner of image-sharing and hosting platform Imgur, 247,590 pounds ($336,000) for unlawfully using kids' personal information, it said Thursday.
The European Data Protection Board will host a conference March 17 in Brussels and online about the data protection aspects of EU cross-regulatory interplay and cooperation, it said Tuesday. Topics will include finding synergies between data protection and competition, as well as how the GDPR interacts with the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, according to the agenda.
While the GDPR generally bans the collection and use of sensitive personal data, such data can often be processed for scientific research purposes, excluding health applications, if CNIL has been consulted in advance, the French watchdog said Wednesday.
French watchdog CNIL's 2026-2028 work program aims to deepen its understanding of business models related to personal data and to better measure the effect of its decisions, including more economic analysis of the impact of the GDPR, it said Monday.
More than 50 municipalities in Denmark are likely violating the GDPR in the way they process personal data when using Google products for teaching in primary schools, the Danish Data Protection Agency said Monday.
DPAs face legal and practical challenges in cross-border enforcement actions, according to a European Data Protection Board (EDPB) report published Monday. These include legal barriers to sharing confidential information and exercising investigatory powers on behalf of foreign DPAs, the absence of mechanisms for enforcing decisions in their countries, and fragmented enforcement cooperation, the document said.
With municipal elections taking place March 15 and 22, French watchdog CNIL reactivated its election observatory to monitor political communication practices, engage with parties and candidates, and inform voters of their rights, it said Friday.
French watchdog CNIL fined France Travail, an administrative body that links job seekers with recruiters, 5 million euros ($6 million) for failing to keep users' data safe, it said Thursday. Separately, Italian DPA Garante announced fines against companies for illegal data processing and failure to keep an email account private.
Europe is at a crossroads in deciding how it can protect its values in an increasingly complex and geopolitical context, European Data Protection Board (EDPB) Deputy Chair Jelena Virant Burnik said in a keynote Wednesday during a Data Protection Day conference hosted by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and Council of Europe.