EU privacy regulators give EU, U.S. three months to find new data pact

By Julia Fioretti LONDON (Reuters) – Companies could face action from European privacy regulators if the European Commission and United States do not come up with a new system enabling them to shuffle data across the Atlantic in three months, the regulators said on Friday. The highest EU court last week struck down a system known as Safe Harbour used by over 4,000 firms to transfer personal data to the United States, leaving companies without alternatives scrambling to put new legal measures in place to ensure everyday business could continue

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EU, U.S. clinch data-sharing deal for security, terrorism cases: document

By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union and the United States have clinched a deal protecting personal data shared for law enforcement purposes such as terrorism investigations, according to a document seen by Reuters. The two sides have been negotiating for four years over the so-called “umbrella agreement” that would protect personal data exchanged between police and judicial authorities in the course of investigations, as well as between companies and law enforcement authorities.

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Online gambling firm GVC bids for bigger rival Bwin.Party

Sports betting and gaming company GVC Holdings Plc said it had submitted a bid for bigger rival Bwin.Party Digital Entertainment Plc, which put itself up for sale last year. Bwin’s shares were up 9.6 percent at 98.00 pence at 1422 GMT (10.22 a.m. ET) on Friday.

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EU mulls conferring binding powers on body of data privacy regulators

By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A new body of European data protection authorities could have the power to adopt legally binding decisions in cross-border disputes over a company’s misuse of personal data, according to a draft document seen by Reuters. Under a mechanism originally proposed in reforms of Europe’s data protection laws, businesses operating across the 28-nation European Union would have to deal only with the data protection authority in the country where they are headquartered – even if alleged mishandling of data affects citizens in another country.

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Germany, Brazil push the U.N. to be tougher on digital spying

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – Germany and Brazil are pushing the United Nations to be tougher on spying by beefing up an earlier U.N. resolution raising concerns that mass surveillance, interception of digital communications and personal data collection could harm human rights. In a follow up to a U.N.

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