The UK Information Commissioner's Office has fined Advanced Computer Software Group over $3 million for the 2022 ransomware attack that disrupted critical NHS services.
Though this particular case only applies to its plaintiff, human rights advocate Tanya O’Carroll, the ICO-backed decision will likely have to inform the company's broader UK targeted advertising policy as others could launch similar suits.
Google's Privacy Sandbox project has been touted as the end of tracking cookies and creepy cross-site following, but it is facing regulatory trouble as the UK ICO has expressed concerns about a collection of "loopholes" that could be used to personally identify and track internet users.
The UK ICO has wrapped up a preliminary investigation into Snap's AI chatbot, and has indicated that it is failing to adequately address children's privacy risks. There are numerous concerns about AI chatbots that are not yet resolved, but children's privacy seems to have driven much of the early action from regulators.
The UK ICO guidelines specify that workplace monitoring must be disclosed to employees (along with its 'clearly defined' purpose), and the 'least intrusive' method must be used to accomplish the stated purpose.
The cyber attack stemmed from a phishing email and impacted some 113,000 people. The government supplier was also faulted for not following up on an antivirus alert as well as having outdated systems and inadequate staff training in place.
UK ICO has reached a provisional finding that TikTok failed to protect children's privacy from 2018 to 2020. If this finding holds up, TikTok could be on the hook for a £27 million fine.
A new Commissioner's Opinion issued by the UK's ICO reiterates the country's data protection standards and lays out its vision of future regulation plans for adtech companies.
Issuing GDPR fines is just the first step of the process; at some point they have to be collected, and the UK ICO is struggling to do that with only a 26% success rate.
Outgoing UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham has suggested a shift in focus from individual cookie popups at each website to regulation of browsers and devices as the source of expressing user tracking preferences.
