Access Now Africa Policy Manager Elias Okwara reflects on his privacy journey in Africa since returning home to Kenya in 2017. He noted that while technological developments have been slow in some regions on the continent, approximately two-thirds of African countries have passed privacy protection laws.
Following the cyberattack of Australian telecommunications company Optus, the Australian government released new consumer privacy rules Oct. 6, Reuters reports. The revised rules are intended to better “facilitate targeted data sharing" between telecom providers and banks.
The European Commission and international human rights group Council of Europe are at a standstill on negotiating a proposed artificial intelligence treaty, Euractiv reports. As the commission aims to negotiate on behalf of the EU, questions are being raised as to how a potential treaty connects with and affects negotiations on the EU's proposed AI Act.
The Record reports Republican members of the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence formed a working group for renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in anticipation of the party taking the House majority. Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Mike Turner, R-Ohio, said the group was formed to do "a comprehensive review of the outstanding issues," while Rep.
The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office fined catalog retailer Easylife 1.48 million GBP for using personal information of nearly 150,000 customers to target them with advertisements.
Sébastien Vachon-Desjardins, a former Canadian government employee and member of a Russian ransomware gang, was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted in U.S. federal court on four charges, including computer fraud, CBC News reports. Vachon-Desjardins, 35, of Gatineau, Quebec, a former IT specialist for Public Services and Procurement Canada, “was one of the most prolific affiliates" of the Russian-speaking ransomware gang Netwalker.
The proposed American Data Privacy and Protection Act could have a far-reaching impact on health data that is not protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Health IT Security reports. Invitae's Deven McGraw said, "HIPAA was never intended to be a privacy rule that covered all health data. ... The fact that we have this quite comprehensive piece of federal legislation that would cover personal data and extend additional protection to sensitive data is quite exciting. ...
The U.S. House New Democrat Coalition announced its support for the proposed American Data Privacy and Protection Act. The NDC, with 99 members, is the largest caucus in the House.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced an $85 million settlement with Google related to alleged user tracking via location data. The attorney general's office opened its investigation in 2018 following consumer claims that Google collected and used location data from smartphones despite users disabling the tracking settings.
The U.K. Information Commissioner's Office published guidance for marketers using live marketing calls. The guidelines cover required and suggested best practices for how marketers can comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.