UK gets data flows deal from EU — for now
The U.K.’s digital businesses can breathe a sigh of relief today as the European Commission has officially signed off on data adequacy for the (now) third country, post-Brexit.
GDPR News
CNIL releases draft recommendation on retention of traceability data
France’s data protection authority, the Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés, launched a public debate over its draft recommendation relating to terms of retention and use of data logs.
Amazon Acquires Encrypted Messaging App Wickr
Wickr is a popular encrypted messaging platform used by journalists, criminals, governments, and businesses.
Alibaba Falls Victim to Chinese Web Crawler in Large Data Leak
A Chinese software developer trawled the popular Taobao shopping website for eight months, collecting more than 1.1 billion pieces of user information including IDs and phone numbers.
Tiny trackers make it alarmingly easy for someone to stalk you
The proliferation of tracking devices — particularly the type of popular gadgets being sold to help you find your belongings, such as your wallet, keys or luggage — have led to an increase in fears of stalking
EU Court Nixes Easy Access to Driving Records
In another win for privacy advocates, Europe’s top court ruled that Latvia is breaching EU data protection rules by making people’s driving records easily accessible.
Europe’s Data Law Is Broken, Departing Privacy Chief Warns
The European Union’s “GDPR” privacy law suffers from “massive flaws” and endless infighting, according to one of the bloc’s top regulators.
Brave launches search engine that doesn’t track users and searches
Brave Software, the company behind the Brave browser, has launched the first version of its eponymously named search engine, which the company claims it does not track users, their searches, or their clicks.
TikTok faces second Dutch mass claim, this time over children’s privacy
The two organisations are claiming €1.5bn from TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, for illegally collecting and trading in the children’s private information.
IBM explores AI tools to spot, cut bias in online ad targeting
IBM is developing tools that would ensure online advertising algorithms do not unfairly show ads to only specific groups such as mostly men or wealthy people, aiming to address discrimination concerns that have drawn industrywide scrutiny.
App Taps Unwitting Users Abroad to Gather Open-Source Intelligence
The Premise app pays users, many in the developing world, to do tasks like taking photos and completing surveys for clients including the U.S. military.
French Spyware Executives Are Indicted for Aiding Torture
The managers are accused of selling tech to Libya and Egypt that was used to identify activists, read private messages, and kidnap, torture, or kill them.