Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP (LexBlog Ireland)

On November 25, 2022, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission released a decision fining Meta Platforms, Inc. €265 million for a 2019 data leak involving the personal information of approximately 533 million Facebook users worldwide.

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner has submitted a draft decision on Facebook Ireland Limited's data protection compliance to other European regulators under the cooperation mechanism of the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The DPC proposed a fine for infringements of the transparency obligations under the GDPR, specifically with respect to the legal basis upon which Facebook relied.

On September 2, 2021, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission announced a fine of €225 million ($266 million) against WhatsApp Ireland Ltd for failure to meet the transparency requirements of Articles 12-14 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation.

On June 15, 2021, the Court of Justice of the European Union released its judgment in case C-645/19 of Facebook Ireland Limited, Facebook Inc., Facebook Belgium BVBA v. the Belgian Data Protection Authority. We provide highlights of the case in this blog entry.

On May 14, 2021, the Irish High Court dismissed Facebook Ireland’s challenge to the Irish Data Protection Commissioner’s investigation into the company’s international transfers of personal data.

On January 13, 2021, Advocate General Michal Bobek of the Court of Justice of the European Union issued his Opinion in the Case C-645/19 of Facebook Ireland Limited, Facebook Inc., Facebook Belgium BVBA v. the Belgian Data Protection Authority.

On December 10, 2020, the French Data Protection Authority announced that it has levied fines on Google LLC, Google Ireland Limited and Amazon Europe Core for alleged violations of the French cookie rules. This post examines the French cookie rules, CNIL’s territorial jurisdiction, the investigations and the sanctions levied against each company.

During the week of April 1, 2019, the Centre for Information Policy Leadership at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP hosted its annual executive retreat in Washington, D.C. CIPL held a full-day working session on evolving technologies and a new U.S. privacy framework followed by a closed members only half-day roundtable on global privacy trends with special guest Helen Dixon, Data Protection Commissioner...

On July 31, 2018, the Supreme Court of Ireland granted Facebook, Inc.’s leave to appeal a lower court’s ruling sending a privacy case to the Court of Justice of the European Union. In granting Facebook leave to appeal, the Supreme Court noted that “[i]t is in the interest of justice” that the Court hear its arguments. The hearing will take place within the next five months.

On May 16, 2018, the Irish Data Protection Bill 2018 entered the final committee stage in the lower house and principal chamber of the Irish legislature. The Bill was passed by the upper house of the legislature at the end of March 2018.

On July 19, 2016, Advocate General Saugmandsgaard Oe published his Opinion on two cases that sought to establish whether a general obligation to retain data is compatible with the fundamental rights to privacy and data protection under EU law.

On June 13, 2016, the U.S. government expressed its wish to join the legal proceedings brought by Max Schrems concerning the validity of international data transfers under EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

As reported in the Privacy & Information Security Law blog, various technology companies, academics and trade associations filed amicus briefs in support of Microsoft’s attempts to resist a U.S. government search warrant seeking to compel it to disclose the contents of customer emails that are stored on servers in Ireland. On December 23, 2014, the...

As reported by Bloomberg BNA, the Irish Office of the Data Protection Commissioner has stated that it will not investigate complaints relating to the alleged involvement of Facebook Ireland Inc. and Apple Distribution International in the PRISM surveillance program.

On April 30, 2013, the regional court of Berlin enjoined Apple Sales International, which is based in Ireland, from relying on eight of its existing standard data protection clauses in contracts with customers based in Germany. The court also prohibited Apple’s future use of such clauses.