At the Iapp Global Forum the point on the evolution of the scenario starting with the new agreement for the transatlantic exchange of data. But American big techs are divided on the roadmap: Microsoft hopes for an acceleration on federal law while Apple fears the boomerang effect 14 Apr 2022 Patrizia Licata Journalist
A few weeks after the US-EU handshake on the transatlantic transfer of data, the debate on the rules for data protection in the digital age is still heated, as demonstrated by the interventions that took place at the Iapp Global privacy summit 2022, in Washington , DC. The European Guarantors EDPB and EDPS have said they are eager to continue to collaborate with the American authorities and the first timid signals arrive from the US Congress on the advancement of the data protection law. But Microsoft president Brad Smith believes US action is too slow and has proposed a new single body to regulate privacy and digital affairs, while Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated his no to the opening of iPhone and iPad to applications external to the App Store: it would be a disaster for privacy and security. Index of topics • Apple: "External apps on iPhones are a risk" • Microsoft calls for a single regulator of digital affairs • With the new Safe Harbor "a Schemes III is unlikely" Apple: "External apps on iPhones are a risk" Privacy is a basic human right, Cook said, and while protecting privacy is not easy, this "is one of the most essential battles of our time." The CEO of Apple said he was concerned that some "politicians are taking measures, in the name of competition, that would force Apple to allow access to the iPhone for apps that bypass the App Store through a process called sideloading".
If sideloading is forced on Apple by competition law, "That means data-hungry companies would be able to bypass our privacy rules and track our users against their will," Cook said. Furthermore, cybercriminals would have a means of bypassing "the comprehensive security protections we have created." Cook said he saw similar problems arise "on devices from other companies" and cited as an example some apps that appeared to be legitimate Covid-19 contact tracking applications, but in reality "infected the devices with ransomware." In alternative app stores, privacy and security may not be protected ”. Microsoft calls for a single regulator of digital affairs Cook also said Apple continues to demand "a comprehensive and strong privacy law in the United States," a view shared by Microsoft president Brad Smith. Smith reiterated that Microsoft has always been in favor of a new federal privacy law and criticized Congress's "lack of action". Senior adviser to the US Senate Trade, Science and Transportation Commission John Beezer hinted at potential progress towards federal legislation, saying the ongoing "serious and bipartisan" dialogue could generate "something soon." But for Smith, Congress has "stalled" and the United States has lagged behind. "Failure to legislate doesn't stop global regulation, it just makes our country less influential in the world," he said. The Microsoft president's proposal is a single privacy regulator, a newly formed Digital Affairs Commission: instead of empowering and equipping separate agencies to help them properly regulate, a single authority and expertise would be more effective, overcoming the fragmentation of privacy laws. With the new Safe Harbor "a Schemes III is unlikely" Smith also stressed the value of international cooperation to legislate on the digital world and cited the EU-US agreement on data transfer. On the transatlantic pact for data protection, Edps Wojciech Wiewiórowski (European data protection supervisor) and the president of Edpb (European data protection board) Andrea Jelinek said they were satisfied. Jelinek added that in the unlikely event of a "Schrems III", the new deal "allows us to play it safe". On the new EU measures approved or in the process of being approved - Digital markets act, Digital services act, Ai act and Data governance act - "The interesting thing is that they have different roles for the world of privacy and data protection and the authorities for data protection are affected in different ways, ”said Wiewiórowski. "The governance of these solutions is an extremely important issue that touches data protection authorities." And on the GDPR: “We do not think that in the near future we will have any huge changes in the law on data protection in Europe. We are also generally satisfied with the outcome of the GDPR and the application of the GDPR ``. However, the EU is already trying to think about the future. In June, Wiewiórowski will host a conference in Brussels titled "The future of data protection: effective enforcement in the digital world", where the efficiency of the GDPR will be discussed and global stakeholders will connect to discuss enforcement strategies. just with a look at the upcoming challenges.
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