UK privacy advocates describe “epidemic” of facial recognition, as government opens investigation
The use of facial recognition technology in Britain’s public spaces is reaching “epidemic” proportions, according to an investigation by the UK privacy group Big Brother Watch (BBW). Their findings were published a day after news that the government’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating the use of facial recognition surveillance in a major new shopping development in […]
Facebook workers are transcribing private user conversations on Messenger
Facebook has admitted to revealing audio recordings of private user conversations to hundreds of outside contractors, hired to improve the accuracy of its artificial intelligence, according to revelations first disclosed in a Tuesday report from Bloomberg. On Wednesday, the Irish Data Protection Commission, in charge of supervision of Facebook in the EU, said it was evaluating whether […]
Cambridge Analytica helped target UK voters ahead of the Brexit referendum, emails show
The defunct political consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica provided services for the Leave campaign ahead of the Brexit referendum, according to internal emails submitted to the British parliament. The findings directly contradict claims by Brexit groups Leave.EU and United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) that the firm did not help them target voters. The emails, between Cambridge […]
UK High Court rejects civil liberties challenge to mass surveillance powers
The UK’s High Court has rejected a challenge by a civil liberties group, arguing that the government’s mass surveillance powers represent a violation of human rights, according to The Guardian. The civil rights group Liberty had claimed that elements of the 2016 Investigatory Powers Act (IPA), called the “snooper’s charter” by critics, allow the government to “to spy […]
Trump promises to retaliate against France’s tech tax
US President Donald Trump has responded to France’s move to tax US tech giants, saying he will shortly announce “substantial reciprocal action,” according to The Verge. “France just put a digital tax on our great American technology companies. If anybody taxes them, it should be their home Country, the USA. We will announce a substantial reciprocal […]
Equifax to pay $700m to US regulators, over a data breach that affected 150m people
Equifax has agreed to pay up to $700 million in a settlement over a 2017 data breach that exposed the records and social security numbers of at least 147 million people, according to The Guardian. The incident was among the largest ever breaches of private data, and the settlement will be the largest of its kind ever […]
US fines Facebook $5bn over Cambridge Analytica, as Europe steps up data enforcement
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted last week to issue a $5 billion (€4.46 billion) fine against Facebook over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which they claim that Facebook violated a prior agreement to not misuse consumer data. The move comes as European authorities levy increasingly large fines against companies over their handling of […]
France approves new tax on multinational tech giants
French lawmakers have voted to approve a new tax on digital services, aimed primarily at large international tech giants based in the US, according to BBC News. A 3 percent tax on sales by large multinational tech companies was passed by the French senate Thursday, after it was approved by the lower house a week earlier. […]
UK authorities fine Marriott £99 million over data breach
The UK’s data protection authority is issuing a £99 million fine against US hotel company Marriott, over a data breach that exposed personal information from over 330 million guests, according to BBC News. Marriott reported the incident last year, although it dates back to 2014. Hackers breached the central reservation database of Starwood, a rival hotel group […]
France votes to fine social media companies that fail to remove hate speech
French legislators voted Thursday to impose a hefty fine on social media companies that fail to remove hate speech from their platform, according to The Verge. The measure was approved by the lower house of the French Parliament, and will need the support of the upper chamber to become law. It would allow companies like Facebook […]