EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova recently said that the EU Commission may declare Japan’s data protection framework “adequate” as early as next year. Jourova added that an adequacy decision would allow the flow of personal data between EU and Japan without the need for extra authorizations,...
Researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) recently discovered a data breach on a website with 45 million users while testing a new tool called Tripwire. The tool is able to check at regular intervals if a user-registration-based website has suffered a breach by...
Human Rights Watch recently reported that Chinese authorities are building a database of blood types and iris scans, and are currently collecting biometric data including DNA samples and fingerprints from residents of Xinjiang aged 12 to 65. China director at Human Rights Watch Sophie Richardson...
Chinese authorities recently demonstrated the power and effectiveness of their surveillance network when it captured BBC reporter John Sudworth in a recent stunt setup operation in Guiyang, China. It took police just 7 minutes to “apprehend” Sudworth after the reporter’s face was seen on CCTV cameras...
A dental office in Toronto was recently alarmed when it learned that the feed from its security camera was being live-streamed on a Russian website. Several experts noted that the incident highlighted a major privacy issue and could have constituted a breach of patient confidentiality. It...
Last Wednesday, Germany’s Federal Cartel Office announced that it will be investigating the smart TV manufacturing sector for possible violations to the country’s consumer protection laws. The office said it will be using its new powers to examine how these manufacturers collect, pass on and commercially...
EU privacy regulator group Article 29 Working Party recently updated its guidelines for countries outside of the bloc seeking to obtain GDPR adequacy approval from the EU Commission. Such countries will have to raise their privacy laws to EU standards in order to be qualified to...
A recent study by ‘kid-tech’ platform SuperAwesome suggested that adtech companies are still able to collect more than 72m data points on children 13 and under. The data was derived from the number of ad trackers stripped by the platform’s ad exchange called ‘Rex’. While...
In a public letter, Interim Executive Director ACLU of Louisiana Jane Johnson criticized Ordinance No. 32-107 which was recently proposed by the New Orleans City Council. The ordinance, which seeks to expand the city’s existing surveillance apparatus, is being presented by the local government as...
Experts at the Pew Research Centre’s Internet Project recently advised against giving tech gadgets as gifts to older users, stating that they may be “sitting ducks” for technology that could invade their privacy. It is said that senior citizens may not understand that new gadgets...