Android app developers will now be required to state their intended purpose for data access via the Query All Packages API or risk being removed from Google Play. The API, which has prompted privacy advocate concerns in the past, reveals what other apps are on a person’s phone.
The Irish regulator intends to have the EU crack down on Meta’s transatlantic data transfers, including for Facebook and Instagram, and has a new draft decision that will also make it harder to use standard contractual clauses (SCCs). If other EU regulators approve, this will be a concern for the business community overall.
The UK signed an “in-principle” deal with South Korea to streamline collaboration to collect, share and process data. The deal is predicated on both sides having shared levels of data protection and the UK’s desire to form new alliances now that it’s not subject to GDPR. This is in line with its goals for its newly announced Data Reform Bill, which is intended to reduce compliance burdens on businesses.
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that could potentially ban TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, does not sell its holdings within a year. The bill now goes to the President Biden, who has said he will sign it. Court challenges are likely to follow.