Equifax fined up to $700m for massive data breach July 22, 2019 Equifax has agreed to pay as much as $700m (£562m) as part of a settlement with the US regulator following a 2017 data breach that exposed the personal data of almost 150m people. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) accused the credit rating agency of failing to secure personal information stored on its system. Read more: [...]
Data breach reports soar since GDPR, as firms fear mammoth watchdog fines July 15, 2019 The number of whistleblower reports to the information commissioner over data breaches have jumped 175 per cent since GDPR came in, according to research. People have become more vigilant about the handling of personal data, and more likely to report potential breaches, since the regulations were introduced in May 2018 according to law firm RPC. [...]
Google workers listen in on private conversations via smart speakers July 12, 2019 Google has admitted its contractors listen in on conversations people have with its smart speaker system, Assistant. The tech giant yesterday said its contractors can access recordings made by the system. It made the admission after the leak of several Dutch language recordings. Google Assistant starts to record audio when it hears a so-called wake [...]
Marriott International to be fined £99m for data breach July 9, 2019 Hotel chain Marriott is set to be fined more than £99m for a data breach that compromised the personal details of roughly 393m guests. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) today announced its intention to hand down the fine following an “extensive” investigation into the breach. Read more: British Airways set for £189m fine for 2018 [...]
Words, psychology, and marketing – why Verbalisation founder Sven Hughes wants to know how you talk June 3, 2019 I’ve never been psychoanalysed before. But upon entering the conference room with Sven Hughes, founder of strategic communications consultancy Verbalisation, he presents me with a handful of my recent articles, points out how all the introductions share similar traits, and explains what this supposedly says about me. For instance, early in each intro, I use [...]
GDPR is one year old, but has the EU’s data protection regulations helped business or eroded trust? May 24, 2019 Saturday marks the first anniversary of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) finally coming into force. GDPR was heavily hyped up, with many hoping – or fearing – that it would fundamentally change not only how companies handle people’s data, but also how consumers view their online interactions with businesses. Anyone with an [...]
Irish data privacy watchdog launches probe into Google Ad Exchange May 22, 2019 The Irish data privacy watchdog has launched an inquiry into Google over the way it collects data for online advertising. Read more: Huawei accuses US of bullying as it fights back against Google ban The Data Protection Commission (DPC) said it has set up the probe to establish whether Google’s use of personal data is [...]
Facebook ditches blue design as CEO Mark Zuckerberg throws focus on privacy May 1, 2019 Facebook has ditched its trademark blue banner as it re-centres its tools around privacy following a year dogged by data scandals. Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg last night revealed plans to up his social network's focus on private messaging and groups, with a raft of redesigned features to pivot the platform towards a more private experience. [...]
The Porn Laws are misguided, repressive, and totally ineffective at protecting children April 24, 2019 Last week, the government announced a new law – one which would expose children to more harmful online material, compromise privacy, and hit the most vulnerable adults in society. As of 15 July, to access online pornography you will have to either purchase a porn pass online or venture to off-licence to acquire an age-verification [...]
Two-thirds of hotel websites leave guests’ personal data exposed to hackers April 10, 2019 Two-thirds of hotel websites inadvertently leak guests’ personal data to third-party companies and leave customers vulnerable to hackers, a new report has revealed. Research by cyber security firm Symantec has found the majority of hotels use booking systems that could allow scammers to access information such as mobile phone numbers and passport details. Read more: [...]