ICO Publishes Guidance On The Use Of Encryption

The General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR") will enter into force 25 May 2018, and will provide new general data protection standards.

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The UK Information Commissioner's Office has finalized its guidance on storage and access technologies, expanding compliance requirements beyond traditional cookies to include tracking pixels, device fingerprinting, and web storage. Organizations must now navigate stricter consent standards and three new narrow exceptions introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, while facing significantly increased enforcement penalties of up to £17.5 million or 4% of annual worldwide turnover.

On 30 September 2026, the Information Commissioner's Office formally becomes the Information Commission. It is the most significant structural change to the UK's data protection regulator in its history, and yet, many organisations are wondering what practical implications this change will have. Here's what you need to know.

From 2 August 2026, the EU AI Act requires businesses to disclose when people are interacting with AI systems, mark synthetic content for detection, label deepfakes, and inform individuals...

The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (the DUAA) officially became law in June 2025, with a phased enforcement model under which different provisions take effect at different times.

In the digital age, data privacy is a critical concern for businesses and individuals alike. A key element of any organisation's data protection strategy is its privacy policy.

The European Commission has announced that EU AI Act transparency rules take effect August 2, 2026, requiring chatbots to identify themselves, deepfakes to be labeled, and AI-generated content to be marked. Organizations must assess whether their AI systems trigger disclosure, labeling, or content-marking requirements, with limited exceptions and penalties reaching €15 million or 3% of global turnover for noncompliance.

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office has opened a public consultation on draft guidance addressing anonymisation and pseudonymisation techniques for processing personal data in research, archiving, and statistical contexts. The guidance explores critical distinctions between anonymous and pseudonymous data, outlines required safeguards under UK GDPR, and examines emerging technologies including synthetic data and privacy-enhancing tools.

The Information Commissioner's Office has launched a consultation on draft guidance addressing anonymisation and pseudonymisation for research, archiving and statistical purposes. This guidance provides critical insight into how organisations should apply data minimisation principles in modern research practices, including AI development, trusted research environments, and synthetic data generation.

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...

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

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 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.

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

France's Anti-Corruption Agency has imposed its first-ever monetary sanctions under the Sapin II Act, penalizing a company €350,000 and its president €60,000 for widespread compliance failures. The landmark decision establishes critical precedents for enforcement strategy, breach assessment timing, and personal executive liability in anti-corruption matters.

The user of defective goods benefi ts from several causes of action against the vendor or manufacturer.