Privacy Roundup: Top 10 Stories of June 2024

Google discontinues Universal Analytics and expands its EU user consent policy to include Switzerland, while new privacy laws in Oregon and Texas are set to take effect on July 1. Catch all the top stories and updates from June.

Starting July 31, 2024, Google will update its consent management requirements for publishers using Google AdSense, Ad Manager, or AdMob in Switzerland. Publishers must use a Google-certified CMP integrated with the TCF and obtain consent from Swiss website visitors to use cookies. Read more

CookieYes is a Google-certified, IAB TCF 2.2 approved CMP that can help you implement Consent Mode and meet requirements.

On July 1, 2024, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) will fully replace Universal Analytics. Analytics users cannot access any current or historical Google Universal Analytics data. Google’s shift to GA4 represents a major change in its analytics strategy, emphasizing enhanced privacy features and flexibility to accommodate evolving regulatory landscapes. Read more

Starting July 1, the Oregon Consumer Data Privacy Act, and the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act will take effect. The laws largely align with data privacy obligations effective in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia, but do not include a private right of action.  The Florida Digital Bill of Rights also becomes effective on July 1, but unlike other US state data privacy laws, the FDBR sets higher thresholds and will cover fewer entities. Read more

Apple has become the first company accused of violating the EU’s new Digital Markets Act, as regulators allege that the tech giant’s App Store ‘steering’ policies make it overly difficult for app developers to direct consumers to competing services. In preliminary findings, the European Commission noted that Apple’s business model restricts app developers from communicating with consumers through alternative distribution channels. Read more

Vermont Governor Phil Scott vetoed a data privacy bill, the Vermont Data Privacy Act, stating it “created an unnecessary and avoidable level of risk” due to its “narrow” private right of action. On the other hand, data privacy advocates have praised Vermont’s bill as one of the strongest in the nation. Read more

Meta will delay the launch of its Meta AI models in Europe after the Irish privacy regulator instructed it to postpone plans to use data from Facebook and Instagram users. Meta announced plans to use data from European users to train its AI models, aiming to capture the “languages, geography, and cultural references”. The move by Meta came after complaints from activist group NOYB, which urged national privacy regulators to block Meta’s AI training plans. Read more

California Attorney General announced a $500,000 settlement with Tilting Point Media LLC, a mobile game publisher. The settlement resolves allegations of unauthorized disclosure of children’s personal information under the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as well as claims of unlawful advertising tactics under the California Unfair Competition Law (UCL). This settlement marks the third public enforcement action under the CCPA. Read more

The European Union accused Microsoft of antitrust violations for bundling Teams with its Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites, following a complaint by rival Slack. Responding to EU antitrust scrutiny, Microsoft unbundled Teams from its Microsoft 365 suite in August 2023. However, the commission said in a statement that the changes were “insufficient to address its concerns and that more changes to Microsoft’s conduct are necessary to restore competition.” Read more

In California, Big Tech is protesting a state bill that demands technology companies implement strict safety measures. SB 1047, or the Safe and Secure Innovation for Frontier Artificial Intelligence Models Act includes a “kill switch” provision, requiring AI makers to be able to shut down an advanced AI at any time. Critics fear the bill could impose an unrealistic burden on developers, especially open-source ones, to ensure their code isn’t misused by bad actors. Read more 

Privacy advocacy group NOYB (“None of Your Business”) has filed a formal complaint with the Austrian regulator today, alleging that Microsoft education software, extensively used in schools across Europe, likely tracks hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren. NOYB has urged the watchdog to investigate the data processed by Microsoft 365 Education, citing inadequate transparency in the company’s privacy documentation and access requests. Read more