Last week was a big one for EU privacy news, as the deadline for businesses to comply with the ePrivacy Directive in the UK passed. Publications on both sides of the Atlantic opined on the issue and covered a range of perspectives, from the need to be more aggressive on enforcement, to the need for further clarity on how exactly that enforcement will work. As the dust settles, the one constant still shines: get down to business on empowering consumers with meaningful privacy controls. In the US, the Better Business Bureau called on several behavioral advertising companies to adjust their notification and control choices for consumers. Also, Microsoft announced that it will be shipping IE 10 with "Do Not Track" turned on by default, which sparked a wide array of responses from privacy advocates and industry trade associations. We've also added new speakers to our June 12th event in London, Evidon Empower II. Alain Pannetrat from CNIL, Jane Hill from BT and Hester de Vries from Kennedy Van der Laan, will be joining the keynote speaker, UK Information Commissioner, Christopher Graham, in addition to many others. View our recent press release for more information, and click here to request an invite. "Prepare Yourself: Proposed Privacy Regulation and Reports May Significantly Affect Your Company’s Operations" – Fulbright & Jaworski – The year 2012 has proven to be a busy year for privacy regulators on both sides of the Atlantic. On January 25, 2012, the European Commission ("Commission") announced a proposal to overhaul its data protection rules by consolidating Member State laws and enacting more rigorous reporting requirements applicable across the European Union ("EU").1 On February 23, 2012, the Obama Administration also released the long-awaited consumer data privacy report which seeks to strengthen consumer data privacy protections in the U.S.2  A month later, on March 26, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") also released its privacy recommendations, setting forth best practices for businesses and providing consumers better control over the collection and use of their personal data.3 As a result, corporations with business operations and online activities in the U.S. and the EU should take careful note of what may be coming their way. Even the EU can't comply with its own cookie law – Econsultancy –If ibuprofen sales are up in the EU this year, it might have something to do with the nightmare known as the EU cookie law. For major companies operating in affected countries, the solution to the problem has been, well, to find a solution to the problem. And for good reason: with the possibility of enforcement action, few businesses can afford not to address the law. How to... find out who's tracking your website – iMedia Connection – The ePrivacy Directive has prompted an explosion of tracking audit services. Companies are now pushing for clarity on how sites are using tags and cookies to collect consumer data. Last month, we covered how iMedia used Evidon Encompass for a complete breakdown of tracking activity on this website, as a first step in the path to compliance. Of course, tracking reports are strictly an internal step, and they don't address the legal requirement for consent by themselves. In this piece, we review the iMedia plan for obtaining a consumer consent to be tracked, using information from its tracking audit.  New Accountability Program Decisions Make Clear All Technologies Must Comply with Online Behavioral Advertising Self-Regulation – The Better Business Bureau – The Online Interest-Based Advertising Accountability Program (Accountability Program) today released the results of formal inquiries into the consumer data-collection and use practices of seven companies in the online advertising industry. All companies reviewed voluntarily agreed to follow the Accountability Program’s recommendations. ICO Receives 64 Cookie Complaints In Three Days – TechWeekEurope – The ICO confirms 64 complaints have been made over cookies, just two days after the law was enforced Cookies law changed at 11th hour to introduce 'implied consent' – The Guardian – Alteration to regulations may leave Britain out of step with EU law in implementation of continent-wide directives. Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Release Preview – Press Release – Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of the Windows 8 Release Preview, the next milestone of the highly anticipated Windows 8 operating system.