• May 27, 2020 |
• Glyn Moody |
• General Privacy News, Governments,

Top EU data protection agency under pressure to act against Internet giants as GDPR turns 2 years old

A few weeks ago, this blog noted that there were questions hanging over the GDPR, not least the fact that no major fines had been issued against top Internet companies. The GDPR has just passed the two-year mark, and many have taken the opportunity to weigh in on this issue. For example, the data protection … Continue reading “Top EU data protection agency under pressure to act against Internet giants as GDPR turns 2 years old”

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• May 15, 2020 |
• Caleb Chen |
• General Privacy News, Governments, Surveillance,

Noyb files complaint against Google under GDPR, saying Android Advertising ID can be tracked

Every phone has an Android Advertising ID and it can be used to track your phone’s actions – and tied back to your identity. A privacy advocacy group called Noyb – European Center for Digital Rights has filed a legal complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Agency against Google under Europe’s GDPR law. Noyb stands … Continue reading “Noyb files complaint against Google under GDPR, saying Android Advertising ID can be tracked”

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• May 13, 2020 |
• Glyn Moody |
• Cybersecurity, General Privacy News, Governments, Surveillance,

Here’s how China has made mass surveillance a “killer application” for AI: will the US do the same?

It’s increasingly evident that the coronavirus pandemic will cause a radical re-shaping of many aspects of society, not least in the world of privacy. Many people are trying to discern the shape of that new world in the current evolving situation. An interesting analysis from Naomi Klein picks up on many themes that have appeared … Continue reading “Here’s how China has made mass surveillance a “killer application” for AI: will the US do the same?”

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• May 9, 2020 |
• Caleb Chen |
• General Privacy News, Governments, Surveillance,

Hungary suspends some GDPR privacy protections as part of COVID-19 “state of emergency”

The Hungarian government is suspending portions of the GDPR as part of their COVID-19 response. They are allowed to do so because the country is under a state of emergency – which may never end. Under the new measures, authorities will no longer need to abide by key provisions of the GDPR which protects the … Continue reading “Hungary suspends some GDPR privacy protections as part of COVID-19 “state of emergency””

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• May 1, 2020 |
• Glyn Moody |
• General Privacy News, Governments,

Is the GDPR failing? If it is, how can it be saved?

The coronavirus pandemic rightly dominates the headlines, including those of the privacy world, but in the background, life goes on. For example, companies operating in the EU are still subject to the GDPR, two years after it first came into operation. But as this blog noted a few months back, there are increasing fears that … Continue reading “Is the GDPR failing? If it is, how can it be saved?”

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• Apr 1, 2020 |
• Glyn Moody |
• General Privacy News, Governments, Surveillance,

How can we protect privacy during a crisis like Covid-19, when “health surveillance” is on the rise around the world?

A couple of weeks ago, this blog looked at the use of smartphones to track people so that contact tracing can be carried out to slow the spread of Covid-19. Two weeks is a long time in a pandemic. Soon after, it emerged that many countries were going further, and using smartphone location to check … Continue reading “How can we protect privacy during a crisis like Covid-19, when “health surveillance” is on the rise around the world?”

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• Mar 26, 2020 |
• Glyn Moody |
• General Privacy News, Governments,

Coronavirus delays the passage of the world’s most important new privacy law

For obvious and justified reasons, the coronavirus pandemic dominates the news currently. One of the latest developments is that India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has put his entire country on lockdown. Ordering 1.35 billion people to stay indoors is a pretty dramatic move. A side-effect of that lockdown is that one of the most important … Continue reading “Coronavirus delays the passage of the world’s most important new privacy law”

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• Mar 19, 2020 |
• Glyn Moody |
• General Privacy News, Governments, Surveillance,

As Covid-19 spreads around the globe, so does the idea of using smartphones to track everyone to help contact tracing

It seems extraordinary that it was only a month ago that this blog wrote about the new coronavirus, also called Covid-19. At that time, it was not yet clear whether it would turn into a full-blown pandemic. Now, there is no doubt on the matter. As that blog post reported, Covid-19 began in China, and … Continue reading “As Covid-19 spreads around the globe, so does the idea of using smartphones to track everyone to help contact tracing”

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• Feb 7, 2020 |
• Glyn Moody |
• General Privacy News, Governments,

Why the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) risks turning into a paper tiger

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has just announced two new GDPR inquiries. One of them concerns Tinder, as a result of “concerns raised by individuals both in Ireland and across the EU”. The other inquiry will examine Google’s processing of location data and the transparency surrounding that processing. The issue is whether consent to share … Continue reading “Why the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) risks turning into a paper tiger”

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• Jan 31, 2020 |
• Glyn Moody |
• General Privacy News, Governments, Surveillance,

What can we learn from the Clearview “end of privacy” story?

A couple of weeks ago, a story in the New York Times put facial recognition, and the serious problems it raises, firmly into the mainstream. It concerned the start-up Clearview AI, which, as the headline breathlessly informed us, “might end privacy as we know it.” The reason for this worrying description is not any breakthrough … Continue reading “What can we learn from the Clearview “end of privacy” story?”

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