The Data Protection Commission (DPC) in Ireland reportedly asked the government for more staff, financing and a reorganised structure ahead of October’s Budget. “The reason for this request is driven by need, as opposed to any sense of self-aggrandisement on the part of the DPC,” the Irish Times quoted the agency as saying in its […]
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Google seeks to dampen Fitbit privacy concerns
Tech giant Google has sought to allay privacy fears now it has completed the acquisition of health and fitness smartwatch maker Fitbit. “This deal has always been about devices, not data, and we’ve been clear since the beginning that we will protect Fitbit users’ privacy,” said Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice-president for devices and services, […]
WhatsApp delays privacy policy changes following Facebook data-sharing concern
WhatsApp has announced a three-month delay to changes to its privacy policy following concerns over mandatory data-sharing with parent company Facebook. The messaging platform had previously announced that from 8 February users would need to agree to some of their data being shared with Facebook if they wish to continue using the service. This included […]
4,000 files feared stolen in cyber attack on Scottish regulator
An environmental regulator in Scotland has confirmed that at least 4,000 files have been accessed and likely stolen by criminals in an ongoing cyberattack on its systems. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said 1.2GB of data was stolen, including information not publicly available. SEPA also said this week that it believed the attack, which […]
German retailer vows to fight €10.4million GDPR fine for video-monitoring employees
An online electronics retailer fined for GDPR breaches over its use of video cameras in the workplace has branded its $10.4m fine “unlawful” and vowed to fight it. Notebooksbilliger.de AG (NBB) was issued with the fine last month by the State Commissioner for Data Protection (LfD) Lower Saxony. LfD said the company had video-monitored its […]
BA facing potential ‘£800m’ lawsuit over data breach
British Airways (BA) is potentially facing the largest privacy class-action lawsuit in UK history over its mass customer data breach that affected 400,000 people, according to a law firm involved. More than 16,000 people are now understood to have joined a case seeking compensation from the airline over the 2018 incident. PGMBM, the law firm […]
Five Eyes network warns ePrivacy directive change will make online child abuse easier
The intelligence-sharing network Five Eyes has reportedly warned that changes to the European Union’s ePrivacy directive will hamper efforts to combat online child abuse. An amendment to the European Electronic Communications Code, which came into force on December 21, extends the scope of privacy rules to ‘Over-the-top’ applications, including instant messaging services such as Facebook […]
New Zealand reserve bank hit by cyberattack
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has been hit by a cyberattack which may have compromised commercially and personally sensitive information. The bank in a statement earlier today said it was responding “with urgency” after a third-party file sharing service it uses to share information with external stakeholders was hit. It is working to confirm […]
Data stolen in cyber attack on London local authority ‘has been published’
Criminals responsible for a cyber attack on Hackney Council’s IT systems have now published some of the stolen data, according to the London borough. The council yesterday provided an update on the investigation into the October attack, which caused widespread disruption to public services. In a statement, it said some of the stolen data has […]
WhatsApp updates privacy policy to include mandatory data-sharing with Facebook
Messaging platform WhatsApp has announced that from next month it will require users to agree to their data being shared with parent company Facebook if they wish to continue using the service. The updated privacy policy will for the first time make it mandatory for users to accept the sharing from 8th February. WhatsApp has […]