Two Dutch consumer groups, the Privacy Protection Foundation and Consumentenbond, have filed suit against Google over its targeted advertising auctions. The suit is seeking the equivalent of $804 for each Google user harmed by its "constant surveillance" and sharing of personal data.
Data Protection
Certain types of personal data are very valuable to criminals, and can be very damaging to an individual or business if it falls into the wrong hands. As the world becomes more digital and more connected, more of this sort of data is generated and passed between various sources on a regular basis.
Government regulations and supervisory authorities aren’t just about keeping irresponsible parties in line. They also provide vital security guidance to every type of organization that handles sensitive personal, business or government information.
Data protection regulations also ensure that the end user has a transparent view of and a say in the processing of personal data. These safeguards play a significant role in everything from the preservation of civil rights to ensuring that democratic institutions function properly.
Some types of personal data are clear candidates for regulation: medical records, banking information, national ID numbers and so on. But some of these regulations also cover items that might seem relatively innocuous at first glance: home addresses, email addresses, website profile information and so on. For example, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has stipulations about anything that is unique to an individual to include phone numbers and social media accounts. People have varying levels of privacy preference with these items, but they are often protected by regulation because they can be used for targeted scams and attempts at identity theft.
Given that regulations often take the size and customer count of businesses into consideration in terms of penalties and the scope of protection of personal data, compliance is particularly important for enterprise-scale organizations. You do not necessarily have to have an active business presence in a country or region; simply storing data on or moving it through servers there may subject you to their data protection rules.
The opening of the Irish data center is part of the final stage of a EU privacy plan TikTok kicked off in mid-2021, seeking to address user data security concerns and the legal status of its international data transfers.
India has enacted its long-awaited privacy legislation, the Digital Personal Data Protection Act on August 12. While there are various aspects of this Act which distinguish it from other privacy laws in the world, one that is particularly interesting is its approach towards user consent.
A complaint in Poland alleges GDPR violations by ChatGPT in the areas of lawful basis for data processing, data access, fairness, transparency and personal privacy.
GDPR complaint points out that Fitbit forces EU users to accept international data transfers as a requirement to use the service, something that may not meet regulatory standards for free and informed consent.
A new report from ad evaluation firm Adalytics finds that some of YouTube’s targeted ads are still slipping through the cracks, and potentially violating federal child privacy law. The revelation has prompted two US Senators to write a letter to the FTC.
US consumer finance watchdog appears to have data brokers in its crosshairs, announcing that it is developing a new rules proposal for the industry. CFPB specifically noted a focus on the impact of AI and announced that an outline of proposals will be released sometime in September.
Copying of protected works is generally a no-no. But, training of AI tools such as ChatGPT requires copying enormous amounts of data. The two positions appear potentially irreconcilable. This is where the “text and data mining” (TDM) exception to copyright and database rights comes in.
Google's bid to get rid of a class action lawsuit involving its "Incognito Mode" took a serious blow in a California court, as a judge denied the company's request for a summary judgment and said that the consumer privacy concerns raised by the company's data handling were fit for trial.
A recent airport ban seems to have prompted a Weibo post by the company offering reassurances on its data security. The post reiterated that Tesla staff cannot access customer video remotely.