The Digital Advertising Alliance and fellow privacy self-regulatory groups announced a joint approach to privacy controls and user consent management for websites and mobile apps. The coalition's approach features "interface guidelines and technical specifications" for brands and publishers to "simplify and improve the user experience" through consent management platforms and the AdChoices program.
The Economist agreed to a settlement in a Michigan class-action lawsuit, in which it was alleged the magazine sold subscriber information to third parties without their consent, Top Class Actions reports. The class is comprised of Michigan residents who subscribed to The Economist in either print or digital form between Feb. 4, 2015 and July 30, 2016. Plaintiffs alleged the sale of their subscription information without their consent violated the state Preservation of Personal Privacy Act.
Former Twitter Chief Privacy Officer Damien Kieran accepted the general counsel position with photo sharing app developer BeReal, Reuters reports. On LinkedIn, Kiernan wrote, “The product, the people, and the potential lured me in.” The Paris-based app maker allows users to upload a daily photo.
The European Data Protection Board published the agenda for its 75th plenary session Feb. 14. Chief among the board's itinerary is elections for its new chair and deputy chair. The board will also discuss its nonbinding opinion regarding the proposed EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework as well as follow-up dialogue on its binding WhatsApp decision.
Proposed Artificial Intelligence Act co-rapporteurs Brando Benifei and Dragoș Tudorache circulated updated compromise texts of the legislation to fellow members of European Parliament, Euractiv reports. Benifei and Tudorache submitted the proposals ahead of a political meeting aimed at finalizing Parliament's position on draft legislation. The new compromises focus on the definition of AI, general scope, high-risk AI classification and prohibited AI practices.
In this week’s Global News Roundup, South Korea’s data protection authority fined Meta for reportedly requiring customers to give up personal information to use certain platforms. Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante, banned U.S.-based artificial intelligence chatbot company Replika from processing Italian citizens’ personal data. Compromise amendments for the draft EU AI Act were introduced in European Parliament. And several U.S. states advanced various pieces of privacy legislation.
The United Nations Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science for Official Statistics released its "Guide on Privacy-Enhancing Technologies for Official Statistics." The guide "explores current approaches to data protection and their associated limitations" with the goal of equipping national statistics offices with best practices and considerations for applying PETs.
European Parliament's Industry, Research and Energy Committee adopted the draft Data Act. The proposal includes measures to allow users to access their data and defines how public sector bodies can access and use private sector data. "The Data Act will be an absolute game changer providing access to an almost infinite amount of high-quality industrial data. Competitiveness and innovation are part of its DNA," Member of European Parliament Pilar del Castillo Vera said.
Generative artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT are catching the attention of lawmakers, Reuters reports. Lawmakers have raised concerns over national security, bias and plagiarism, and BNH.AI Managing Partner Andrew Burt said some are evaluating whether to regulate generative AI programs.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Judge Vince Chhabria ordered Meta Platforms and its law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher to pay $925,000 over their "delay, misdirection and frivolous arguments" in a data privacy lawsuit, Reuters reports.