PCPD Publishes New Guidance Note On Handling Personal Data For Beauty Industry

Artificial Intelligence ("AI") is no longer the future on the horizon for businesses in Hong Kong, but the present-day reality. In just a few years, AI has moved from the margins of corporate operations to their core...

Part VIA of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) (PDPO) sets out new direct marketing requirements. Part VIA will tentatively commence on 1 April 2013.

Section 33 of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance prohibits the transfer of personal data to places outside Hong Kong except in circumstances specified in the PDPO.

The HKMA announced that it had granted five stored value facility licences, which are the first set of such licences granted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority under the new Payment Systems and Stored Value Facilities Ordinance.

Given the private nature of banking services and as banks serve the vast majority of the public, the banking industry is one of the private sectors in Hong Kong for which the Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner receives most complaints.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data ("PCPD") updated the Guidance on the Use of CCTV Surveillance (the "CCTV Guidance") and issued a new Guidance...

In 2012 Hong Kong introduced the Personal Data Ordinance to, amongst other things, strengthen restrictions on the use of personal data for direct marketing purposes.

Recent high profile data privacy breaches have brought the Hong Kong Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) ("PDPO") under the spotlight. Hong Kong was one of the first countries in Asia

In this update, Pádraig Walsh from our Data Privacy team looks at two investigation reports published by the Hong Kong Privacy...

Conducting background checks on job candidates has become common practice amongst Hong Kong employers.

The Code is voluntary, but it will likely become an important reference point for demonstrating compliance with Article 50 of the AI Act.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a preliminary injunction against Perplexity AI, determining that when an AI agent acts at a user's direction, it is the user—not the AI company—who "accesses" computer systems under federal and California computer fraud statutes. This landmark appellate decision addresses how existing computer-access laws apply to agentic artificial intelligence and has significant implications...

China's Supreme People's Court has issued comprehensive judicial rules addressing artificial intelligence disputes, establishing frameworks for product liability, intellectual property rights, and data protection. These landmark opinions provide critical guidance for global companies navigating AI-related legal risks in China's evolving regulatory landscape.

The European Commission has initiated infringement procedures against 20 EU Member States for failing to transpose the EmpCo Directive by the March 27, 2026 deadline. This directive aims to combat greenwashing by requiring substantiation of environmental claims and third-party certification for sustainability labels, with full implementation expected by September 27, 2026.

Mexico's comprehensive anti-money laundering framework has undergone a sweeping transformation through Acuerdo 115/2026, introducing mandatory risk-based methodologies, enhanced client due diligence protocols, and automated monitoring requirements. With implementation deadlines beginning March 1, 2027, obligated parties conducting vulnerable activities face compressed timelines to overhaul their compliance infrastructure while navigating heightened enforcement risks and stricter beneficial ownership thresho

The European Commission has proposed replacing the EU's three core procurement directives with a single, directly applicable Regulation that would fundamentally reshape how companies compete for public contracts across Member States. The reform introduces mandatory quality criteria thresholds, embeds ESG considerations as evaluation factors, and establishes new security and European-preference provisions that could restrict participation based on ownership, supply chain exposure, and strategic dependencies.

The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq are implementing overnight trading sessions starting December 6, 2026, extending the trading day to nearly 23 hours by compressing the daily pause to just one hour. While this evolution toward continuous trading introduces new considerations for corporate actions, disclosure timing, and deal execution, the practical impact varies significantly between NYSE-listed companies,

A federal court has struck down New York's Climate Change Superfund Act, which sought to recover $75 billion from fossil fuel companies based on historical emissions. The ruling found the Act preempted by the Clean Air Act, marking the first judicial decision on state climate superfund legislation and establishing that EPA's rescission of the endangerment finding does not alter preemption analysis.

The European Commission has adopted final Guidelines on exclusionary abuses of dominance under Article 102 TFEU, introducing a "workable effects approach" that narrows presumptions while expanding guidance on objective justifications and recognizing sustainability benefits as valid efficiencies for the first time. These Guidelines replace the 2008 Enforcement Priorities Guidance and are expected to significantly impact enforcement practices across EU Member States and beyond, particularly for digital market

The Ninth Circuit has ruled that health plan participants whose confidential information was disclosed without authorization have standing to sue in federal court, even without showing financial loss or future harm. This decision, which departs from the risk-based approach many courts have applied since TransUnion, relies on the centuries-old action for breach of confidence and could have significant implications for companies' privacy commitments and data-sharing practices.