Privacy News Online | Weekly Review: November 27, 2020
Featured: Privacy News Online – Week of November 27th, 2020
Official Trump 2020 App collected phone numbers from contact lists without consent and could sell that data
New details about the official app used by the Trump 2020 campaign have been revealed and things aren’t looking good. Former employees admitted that the app ignored user preferences and siphoned up all contacts even if no consent was given. All this information is in the hands of Phunware, a company that is facing a major financial crisis since losing a lawsuit with Uber. What happens to all the information siphoned up by the Official Trump 2020 App remains to be seen.
Canada unveils its new privacy legislation – with even bigger fines than the GDPR
Canada has revealed its federal legislative equivalent of the EU’s GDPR: the Consumer Privacy Protection Act (CPPA). Canada’s privacy laws haven’t been updated since 2000 and this new overhaul is seen as good and necessary step. The CPPA is setting the fines for corporations that disobey the new privacy laws at 5% of gross revenue, which is even higher than the 4% of gross revenue fine set out by the GDPR.
More Privacy News This Week:
Google is testing end-to-end encryption for Android text messages
Texting on Android is officially set to get an end-to-end encryption upgrade, according to Google. The e2e encryption will only be available for one on one conversations at first, not groups; however, it will be on by default if both Android devices have the latest version of Android texting. Testing will begin this month and Google expects to roll out end-to-end encryption to Android-to-Android texting in 2021.
Facebook Is Going After Its Critics in the Name of Privacy
Facebook is going after an academic effort to keep tabs on what kind of Facebook ads are run – and ironically they’re doing so in the name of privacy. NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering runs both Ad Observer and the Ad Observatory and together the projects provide some third party accountability for what ads show up on Facebook. Facebook has threatened legal action unless Ad Observer is taken down by Nov. 30th in the name of privacy. The irony and doublespeak is so strong here.
Apple accuses Facebook of ‘disregard for user privacy’
Apple’s Director of Global Privacy, Jane Horvath, has accused Facebook of disregarding user privacy in a letter to a coalition of privacy groups. She was emphasizing that Apple is serious with app tracking transparency – which will put a crimp in Facebook’s ad revenue. Horvath spared no words: “Facebook executives have made clear their intent is to collect as much data as possible across both first and third party products to develop and monetise detailed profiles of their users, and this disregard for user privacy continues to expand to include more of their products.”
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