InfoBytes Blog
FTC Announces International Privacy Initiatives
On March 6, the FTC released a memorandum of understanding (MOU) it signed with the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is designed to strengthen the agencies’ privacy enforcement partnership. The FTC stated that over the last several years it has worked with the ICO on numerous investigations and international initiatives to increase global privacy cooperation. The MOU establishes a formal framework for the agencies to provide mutual assistance and exchange of information for the purpose of investigating, enforcing, and/or securing compliance with certain privacy violations. The FTC also announced a joint project with the European Union (EU) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies to map together the requirements for APEC Cross Border Privacy Rules and EU Binding Corporate Rules, which is designed to provide a practical reference tool for companies that seek “double certification” under the APEC and EU systems, and shows the substantial overlap between the two.