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ARTICLE · 06 APRIL 2021

European Data Protection Board Issues Draft Guidance On Virtual Voice Assistants

Pearl Cohen Zedek Latzer Baratz
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The panel of data protection authorities of the member states of the European Union (European Data Protection Board – EDPB),

European UnionPrivacy
Haim Ravia
Haim Ravia
Dotan Hammer
Dotan Hammer

The panel of data protection authorities of the member states of the European Union (European Data Protection Board - EDPB), published for public comments its guidelines on Virtual Voice Assistants (VVAs). The draft guidelines emphasize that Virtual Voice Assistants, by their very nature, process voluminous personal data, which in turn warrants special attention to their data protection implications. Also, given that VVAs usually entail data storage in the user's device, the Directive on privacy and electronic communications (ePrivacy Directive) applies as well, alongside the GDPR.

The draft guidelines discuss various data protection topics underpinning VVAs. Data subject rights - such as data correction, deletion, and request for a copy of the personal data processed - must be accessible to the data subject as voice commands.

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