The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office released the second in a series of employment guidance consultations. The guidance is aimed at learning how employers use and protect the health information of their employees. The consultations are part of a process to replace existing employment code with U.K.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development published a report titled “Dark Commercial Patterns.” The report cited “mounting concern that dark commercial patterns may cause substantial consumer detriment” and proposed a working definition of the term, “sets out evidence of their prevalence, effectiveness and harms, and identifies possible policy and enforcement responses to assist consumer policy makers and authorities in addressing them.” It also outlined mitigation approaches that can be taken by consumers and businesses.
The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau launched a financial data rights rulemaking seeking to strengthen access and control for customers over their financial data. The proposed rule would implement section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act, which states consumers have the right to access information about their financial accounts.
A five-year study conducted by LinkedIn involving 20 million users may have led to fewer job opportunities for some unknowing participants, CBC reports. The study by LinkedIn, Harvard, MIT and Stanford was published in September and tested the theory that more people are hired through “distant acquaintances” rather than close contacts. The research found users who were shown contacts with whom they had 10 mutual friends doubled their chances of being hired.
Some companies are using digital simulations of celebrities created with deepfake technology in advertisements, with or without the celebrities’ permission, The Wall Street Journal reports. Experts say the technology can help brands produce faster, cheaper content, while Slack Shack Films owner Daynen Biggs, who produces deepfake videos, acknowledged it “does have the potential to be extremely harmful.
Australian health insurer Medibank said a data breach in which 200 gigabytes of data was stolen compromised data of all its nearly 4 million customers, Reuters reports. The company said compromised information includes personal data and “significant amounts” of customers’ health claims data.
Cybersecurity experts at the Norwegian broadcasting corporation, NRK, are warning World Cup attendees to not carry their smartphones on their person at the event, India Times reports. Attendees will be required by host nation Qatar’s government to download two mobile applications called Ehteraz, a COVID-19 tracking app, and Hayya, the official app of the World Cup for attendees to download their tickets and utilize free public transportation while in Qatar.
Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said he believes digital advertising and privacy “could coexist,” The Wall Street Journal reports. Federighi spoke at the publication’s annual Tech Live conference and said the company was less concerned with the near-term fallout of its requirements to force third-party mobile applications to obtain user consent before collecting personal data.
A so-called “energy star” label for Internet of Things devices proposed by U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration requires mass consumer comprehension of what the label signifies, R Street Institute Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats Resident Senior Fellow Brandon Pugh, CIPP/US, writes. He said it's important for the federal government to set a baseline standard for “consumer-facing” IoT products.
A first reading of the bill amending the Privacy Act 1988 to increase maximum penalties for “serious or repeated interferences with privacy” was held before Parliament. The Privacy Legislation Amendment (Enforcement and Other Measures) Bill 2022 would increase penalties to AU$2.5 million for individuals and AU$50 million for corporations.