While the practical interpretation and implementation of the GDPR has been heavily discussed, it is sometimes overlooked that the GDPR itself offers solutions to handle the legal uncertainty: Codes of Conduct and Certifications. Read More
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.
California’s new IoT security law requires IoT devices sold locally to be equipped with reasonable security measures. Do you know what types of devices are covered and what “reasonable security measures” entail? Read More
Revoke of Privacy Shield is the second time in 5 years that the European Court of Justice has killed an EU-US data sharing agreement due to concerns of US government surveillance. Read More
Privacy advocate groups allege that UK Test and Trace rushed the process and did not conduct the necessary data protection impact assessment that the GDPR requires for collection of personal data on this sort of scale. Read More
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is the latest in privacy compliance. Although not as comprehensive as what is provided by the GDPR, there are useful operational overlap that can help with compliance with the CCPA. Read More
Although CCPA is intended for California consumers, enterprises across the U.S. are adjusting their cybersecurity procedures and policies in anticipation of further regulations. Read More
As personal data protection continue to challenge companies it is becoming apparent that the commissions and other structures that police these issues have become impatient with organisations that are not complying with recommendations. For the first time those companies which have suffered a data breach and been found not in compliance are feeling the wrath of governing bodies. Read More
Proposed privacy bill will establish a new federal Data Protection Agency responsible for creating national privacy rules and have broad enforcement powers by way of fines and civil penalties. Read More
Even though India PDPB has replicated quite a few concepts from GDPR, there are still significant variants that require specific actions for companies to be in compliance. Read More
As part of its CCPA compliance efforts, Google has recently announced that they will block personalized ads by giving customers the right to opt-out of personal data collection. Read More