Over the past few months, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a series of enforcement actions that underscore a recurring regulatory concern: data breaches that, in the ICO’s view, were not merely accidental but the result of organisations failing to implement even basic data protection safeguards—violations of their accountability obligations under the UK […]
ICO
News from the UK: The ICO’s Online Tracking Strategy 2025
The UK data protection authority, Information Commissioner’s Officer (ICO), has recently published news regarding their online tracking strategy for 2025. Recognizing that “being tracked online is part of daily life for most people”, in 2024 the ICO implemented a number of initiatives to enhance people’s control over how they are tracked. Among such initiatives, the […]
UK Data Protection Commissioner (ICO) launched a Data Protection Audit Framework
The ICO has recently issued an instrument to support organisations in verifying data protection compliance. The online audit toolkits can be used to conduct both consensual and compulsory audits. The toolkits are designed for organization personnel having familiarity with data protection compliance or data protection professionals (for example: senior management, the data protection officer, internal […]
AI Innovation at Risk? A Showdown Between Privacy Laws and Tech Giants
AI is transforming the world at an unprecedented speed, and yet, a growing regulatory storm seems ready to slow it down. Recently, LinkedIn was forced to halt its AI-powered data processing in the UK after concerns raised by the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office). But could this be just the tip of the iceberg for a […]
Unlawful use of facial recognition technology (FRT) at a school in Essex
The UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), announced on 23 July 2024 that it had issued a warning to a school in Essex for the unlawful use of facial recognition technology – a violation of Art. 58 para. 2 lit. b UK GDPR. What happened? In March 2023, the school began using facial […]
Unrechtmäßiger Einsatz von Gesichtserkennungstechnologien an Schule in Essex
Die englische Aufsichtsbehörde, Information Commissioner´s Office (ICO), hat am 23. Juli 2024 mitgeteilt, eine Verwarnung gegen eine Schule in Essex wegen des unrechtsmäßigen Verwendens von Gesichtserkennungstechnologie ausgesprochen zu haben – ein Verstoß gegen Art. 58 Abs.2 lit. b UK GDPR. Was war passiert? Die Schule hatte im März 2023 begonnen, Gesichtserkennungstechnologien in der Kantine der […]
AI and HR – Navigating legal obligations in Europe
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping HR and recruitment practices worldwide, promising enhanced efficiency and precision. While the adoption of AI in HR is not groundbreaking news, as many large companies have relied on similar solutions for years, its undeniable benefits continue to drive organizations of all sizes towards embracing AI-powered tools. Technologies like resume screening […]
The Magic of Christmas…I mean Consent!
Every child wakes up with an extra little twinkle in their eye on Christmas morning. Whether that twinkle comes on the 24th of December when the Christ Child visits in Southern Germany or on the 25th when Santa leaves goodies for all the good girls and boys throughout the US. The magic of Christmas is […]
Backups and the Right to Erasure
Discussed many times and yet not less important: In order for processing to be lawful, personal data should be processed on the basis of the consent of the data subject concerned or some other legitimate basis. The same applies if the legal basis ceases to exist. In this case, too, processing must be prevented aswell […]
Dear Santa, this year I have been good. For Christmas I would like… A connected toy!
Presuming that Santa is up with the times, and actually knows what a connected toy is, does the child know what they asked for, and why does this matter? What are connected toys? A source of information… The kid asked for a toy that is connected to the internet, a characteristic that amplifies the potentiality […]
Bußgeld – Aufsichtsbehörde lässt mit sich reden
Die britische Datenschutzbehörde (Information Commissioner’s Office kurz ICO) hat gegen die Fluggesellschaft British Airways (BA) ein Bußgeld in Höhe von 20 Millionen Britische Pfund (rund 22 Millionen Euro) verhängt. Hintergrund ist ein Cyberangriff aus dem Jahre 2018, bei dem persönliche Daten von über 400.000 BA Kunden und Mitarbeitern betroffen waren. Die Hacker erlangten u.a. Zugriff […]
Politische Kampagnenarbeit in Zeiten des Brexits- Facebook als eine Zielscheibe des ICO in Großbritannien
Am 10 Juli hat das Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), die unabhängige Datenschutz-Aufsichtsbehörde in Großbritannien, den Zwischenstatus zur Verwendung von Data Analytics in politischen Kampagnen veröffentlicht. Parallel wurde ein zweiter Report als Ergebnis der 14-monatigen Forschungen zum Thema Personenbezogene Informationen und politischer Einfluss unter dem wörtlich übersetzten Titel „unterbrochene Demokratie“ veröffentlicht. Folgende Zusammenfassung bezieht sich auf […]