GDPR News

October 18, 2021

Cybersecurity Experts Sound Alarm on Apple and E.U. Phone Scanning Plans

More than a dozen prominent cybersecurity experts criticized plans by Apple and the European Union to monitor people’s phones for illicit material.

October 18, 2021

Amazon Fights Record €746 Million EU Data-Protection Fine

Amazon.com Inc. appealed a record 746 million-euro ($865 million) penalty for allegedly violating the European Union’s tough data-protection rules

October 18, 2021

WhatsApp to bring in encryption for backup chats after privacy fears

WhatsApp is allowing users to encrypt their backed-up chats, making them unreadable without access to a password or 64-digit encryption key.

A person is using a laptop displaying analytics data, including a pie chart, line graphs, and bar charts. Their hands are on the keyboard. Beside the laptop, there is a smartphone and a pair of eyeglasses on the table. The setting appears to be a workspace.

October 18, 2021

Publisher and agency executives scrutinize email-based universal IDs

Email-based universal IDs may improve upon the cookie in some ways, but relying upon the email address can introduce privacy concerns.

A woman with long dark hair is facing a small, rectangular device labeled "fuse". The device projects a blue light forming a geometric pattern on her face, indicating facial recognition technology. She wears a white top, and the background is dark gray.

October 17, 2021

Moscow metro launches facial recognition payment system despite privacy concerns

The Moscow metro has launched what authorities say is the first mass-scale deployment of a facial recognition payment system.

Large outdoor sign with a colorful geometric pattern featuring a prominent "thumbs up" icon. Below, text reads "facebook" on the left and "1 Hacker Way" on the right. Surrounded by trees under a clear blue sky.

October 14, 2021

Irish privacy watchdog endorses Facebook’s approach to data protection

A draft decision from Ireland’s Data Protection Commissioner endorsing Facebook’s legal basis for processing personal data has been met with criticism by a data protection activist who says the platform is trying to bypass EU privacy laws.

Close-up of pipettes dispensing liquid into rows of clear, open plastic test tubes. The pipettes are metallic and aligned, each transferring a dark liquid. The test tubes are arranged closely together on a tray, with a blurred background indicating a laboratory setting.

October 14, 2021

Experts concerned about Netherlands working with China in DNA research

Three top Dutch laboratories have been working together with Chinese scientists to develop sensitive DNA techniques for years.

A laptop displaying a digital lock icon with the word "Secured" and a checkmark on the screen is placed on a round wooden table. The screen shows a map of the world in the background. A small gray clock and a potted plant are also on the table, with a window view behind them.

October 14, 2021

Belgian Government Wants To Add Encryption Backdoors To Its Already-Terrible Data Retention Law

Legislators want a form of encryption that can be stripped away whenever the government wants access to communications. It means backdoor.

A close-up image of a black fingerprint on a white background. The fingerprint displays distinct looping and whorled patterns characteristic of an individual print, with clear ridges and valleys forming spirals and loops.

October 14, 2021

French privacy watchdog takes action on government fingerprint database issues

CNIL has decided to call the Ministry of the Interior to order after observing several failures in the proper maintenance of the automated fingerprint file.

October 14, 2021

Over 1.5 billion Facebook users’ personal data found for sale on hacker forum

Unrelated to other recent problems Facebook has had, this particular batch of data was scraped from profiles, meaning it’s publicly available knowledge. That doesn’t stop it from being dangerous.