Posts by Martin Abrams
Enacting Privacy Legislation Requires Defining Desired Obtainable Outcomes
There is little debate that the United States needs a comprehensive privacy law. There also is little debate that the U.S. is no closer to enacting such legislation than it…
Read MoreA Pivotal Event in Data Protection Law
The recently completed UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) Consultation on “Data: A new direction” on revising the UK GDPR is a watershed moment. The Consultation looks…
Read MoreUK Alters the Trajectory for Global Data Protection Objectives
The UK Government’s consultation, “Data: A New Direction” (“Consultation”), reframes the objectives for data protection in a manner not suggested for twenty yearsandchanges the trajectory for global data protection’s stated…
Read MoreDoes the Conduct of Observation Merit Dedicated Legislation?
Do pervasive watching and recording cause risks to individuals and society that justify new legislation specific to this risk? Digital age legislation in the 21st century, to be effective, must…
Read MoreWhen Data Protection Is Not About Data Protection
Data protection law is not always about data protection or privacy; sometimes it is just about power. Last week I was bothered by tweets that touted a “momentous day” in…
Read MoreMy Head Spins – UK Gets Adequacy As Task Force Says GDPR Must Change
The EU Commission today (June 28, 2021) announced that the UK has been granted adequacy for data flows from Europe to the UK. The UK received adequacy, in part, because…
Read More50 Year Heritage of the FAIR and OPEN USE ACT
Permissible uses for personal data, a key component of the FAIR and OPEN USE ACT, were invented in the United States 50 years ago. The FAIR and OPEN USE ACT…
Read MoreTime To Break the Privacy Legislative Paradigm – IAF Model Legislation
Federal privacy legislation in the United States is stuck. There are many reasons for this, but the fact is that the old privacy paradigm that individual control is the keystone…
Read MoreA Trusted Digital Ecosystem Requires Glass Breaking Legislative Change – IAF Summit Recap
The observational age that drives change in all avenues of human life requires data governance marked by an orderly transition to demonstrable accountability. Provable responsibility means new ways of thinking…
Read MoreEnforcement: To Be Effective, One Needs to be Selective
Richard Thomas, when he was Information Commissioner of the United Kingdom, said: “To be effective as a regulator, one needs to be selective.” I suggest that regulatory clarity also is…
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