A ransomware attack on a school district in Maryland, US, has halted classes for a reported 115,000 pupils. Schools will remain closed today and tomorrow while teaching staff put in place plans for remote learning. “Our focus today and for Monday and Tuesday is identifying and addressing student and staff device needs so that instruction […]
Author: Carl Brown
French food retail giant Carrefour fined €3m for GDPR breaches
The French multinational retailer Carrefour has been fined €3m for multiple data protection failings. Data protection agency CNIL has fined two companies of the Carrefour Group for breaches of GDPR in several areas, including the obligation to inform individuals, use of cookies, limiting the retention of data, the obligation to facilitate the exercise of rights […]
PrivSec Job Focus: Cristina Costache, privacy lead (EMEA), Strauss Coffee Bv
In our first reader-submitted Q&A, Cristina Costache describes the ever-changing nature of working in privacy What is your full job title? Privacy Lead EMEA. Which industry do you work in? (data protection/security/privacy) How long have you worked in the industry? I would say privacy as I see it as including data protection nowadays. I am […]
European Commission proposes new rules on data governance
The European Commission has published proposals for new rules on data governance in a bid to enable easier data-sharing between sectors and member states. Under the plan, published yesterday, “neutral and transparent” data intermediaries would be used to organise data sharing and pooling of data to increase trust. This would represent an alternative model to […]
German court slashes ‘unreasonably high’ GDPR fine by 90%
A €9.55m fine for a telecommunications service provider for breaching GDPR has been reduced to just €900,000 by a German appeals court. 1&1 Telecom GmbH was handed the original fine last December by the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (BfDI) after it emerged that people calling the company’s customer service hotline […]
Ticketmaster fined £1.25m over personal data breach
Ticketmaster has been fined £1.25m for failing to keep the personal data of millions of customers secure. The online events ticket seller failed to put “appropriate security measures in place” to prevent a cyber-attack on a chat-bot installed on its online payment page, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in the UK said. The breach potentially […]
Canadian privacy watchdog publishes recommendations on regulating use of AI
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (the OPC) yesterday outlined recommendations for regulating the use of artificial intelligence, including a rights-based approach. The recommendations include creating a right for a meaningful explanation of automated decisions, and a right of subjects to contest these decisions. It also wants to require organisations to design AI […]
EU finance ministers call for GDPR clarity as they back greater info-sharing to tackle money laundering
EU finance ministers are calling for clarity on data protection rules as they seek to harmonise anti money laundering regulations across Europe. The European Union’s ECOFIN council yesterday backed plans to establish a single rule-book and centralised supervision of anti-money laundering and terrorist financing. As part of the reform plan, ministers want the European Commission […]
NCSC handles record number of cyber attacks as hackers exploit coronavirus
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) handled 723 cyber incidents in the year to August, the highest figure since its formation in 2016, as coronavirus scammers targeted healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. The NCSC, a government body that provides security support to public bodies and private companies, revealed it helped 1,200 victims in the […]
New privacy rights considered by Australian Attorney General in wide-ranging review
Australian citizens would be able to take legal action directly against organisations breaching privacy laws, under a potential change being looked at as part of a long-awaited review of privacy legislation. The Attorney General has published the terms of reference for a review of Australia’s Privacy Act, following concerns raised by the Australian Competition and […]