TikTok, which has been running afoul of EU regulators and recently received warning tougher rules are planned this year, has announced plans for two new EU data centers. The intent is to migrate the company’s EU user data there to be stored and managed locally.
White Castle and a dozen business groups are trying to hold back against a ruling from Illinois’ Supreme Court that claims the company should pay $17 billion+ as a penalty for repeatedly collecting employee biometric data without consent. “Repeatedly” is key here, since the court wants to charge White Castle for each time they scanned the 9,500 employees, while company lawyers argue it should only be charged for the initial scan.
New regulations and changes to existing laws are expected this year and soon after in Asia. India and Vietnam have legislation in process; and Australia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Singapore are looking to more closely align with the EU’s GDPR. Morrison & Foerster’s overview looks at changes evolving with regard to scope, cross-border transfers, breach notification rules and enforcement.
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.