The U.S. House of Representatives might take up a revised bill dealing with the Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after Congress pushed off discussions on the issue last year, Politico reports. The bill is still being workshopped and the vote is not a guarantee as Congress wrestled with myriad issues and disagreements on whether the act should be renewed.Full story
France's data protection authority, the Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés, released its priority control themes for 2024. The CNIL will focus on data collection in the context of the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics in Paris, the collection of minors' personal data online, loyalty programs and dematerialized receipts, and right of access issues for data subjects.Full story
IAB Europe said it has updated a guide on how to improve digital advertising campaigns for 2024, with a focus on viewability, brand safety, user experience and privacy. To mark the occasion, IAB Europe will hold a webinar 7 March to discuss the guide and hear from contributors.Full story
Analysis of 2023 ransomware activity showed groups were paid more than USD1.1 billion from companies to sell back data stolen during breaches, The Record reports. Last year, hackers used zero-day vulnerabilities and intensified "their operations and targeting high-profile institutions and critical infrastructure like hospitals, schools, and government agencies."Full story
In an op-ed with AdExchanger, ASG Solutions founder Arielle Garcia discussed how consumers can be harmed by targeted advertisements. "I'm disputing the misguided belief that the advertising industry has any interest in exercising the self-restraint necessary to not exploit this sensitive data in ways that cause harm," Garcia said. "Not when there's money to be made."Full story
Clearview AI is allegedly still collecting data from Australians despite the company being prohibited from collecting biometric data from residents since 2021, Crikey reports. The facial recognition software company claimed it can not tell which photos are of Australian residents if the information obtained is through a non-Australian server.Full story
Italy's data protection authority, the Garante, issued fines to four municipalities for failing to provide the contact information of their local data protection office to the agency. The sanctions are part of an ongoing campaign by the Garante to ensure municipalities provide contact information.
The government of Shanghai, China, will streamline international data transfer approvals to spur economic improvements, Reuters reports. The fast-track approval initiative is aimed at certain multinational companies and their ability to move their Chinese data out of the country.
IAB Tech Lab published a report analyzing challenges the advertising industry may face in adopting Google's Privacy Sandbox. The major concerns for advertisers identified in the report are essential event-based metrics, brand safety, on-browser computing implications and a lack of consideration for commercial requirements. With the release of the report, IAB opened a public comment period for stakeholders until 22 March.
In an op-ed in The Hill, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., called for the establishment of a federal regulatory agency tasked with enforcing a national consumer data privacy law.