New York Times Editorial Board member Alex Kingsbury writes smartphones are inconsistent with the notion of privacy humanity enjoyed before their invention. He said now that such tracking and monitoring data is used to prosecute women seeking abortion services, people need to look to Congress to pass laws so their personal data does not incriminate them.
In this week’s global legislative roundup, U.S. citizens’ perceptions of privacy have handcuffed efforts to work on a comprehensive federal privacy bill. The European Data Protection Board issued a binding decision related to a 600,000 euro fine given to a French hotel chain. U.S. Big Tech companies may be gearing up for a legal fight over the EU Digital Markets Act. And Indian Parliament may abandon the creation of an independent data protection authority in a new data protection bill.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for privacy and data security has been filed to the Federal Register, thus opening the 30-day public comment period. The commission is soliciting for comments on 95 questions that will shape its potential rulemaking. The deadline for public comments is Oct. 21 and the FTC will hold a remote forum Sept. 8 to explain potential process and substance of proposed rulemaking while collecting additional stakeholder feedback.
Axios reports on how the perceptions of privacy among U.S. residents are hampering U.S. Congress' work on federal privacy legislation. Georgetown Law Center on Privacy and Technology Executive Director Emily Tucker said privacy correlates "the preservation of individual sovereignty over one's immediate personal space" rather than digital privacy for many U.S. citizens.
The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking public comments on the second draft of its Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework. NIST said the voluntary guide aims to "improve the ability to incorporate trustworthiness considerations into the design, development, use, and evaluation of AI products, services, and systems." The public consultation on the latest draft runs through Sept.
Luxembourg’s National Commission for Data Protection issued a reminder to municipalities regarding the data protection officer requirement under the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The CNPD found "some municipalities had not yet fulfilled" DPO obligations and began informing them of the need to come into compliance with Article 37.1(a) of the GDPR.
The New York Times reports research from a former Google engineer showed TikTok's in-application web browser has keystroke-tracking capabilities that could reveal users' personal data. Privacy researcher Felix Krause discovered the potential tracking, which could lead to deciphering credit card numbers, passwords and other personal information.
The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office issued a six-step guide for small businesses that receive data protection complaints. The steps are to acknowledge receipt of the complaint, find out the specific issue related to the complaint, provide updates to the data subject, record actions taken in response to complaint, formally respond to the individual with the outcome of the investigation, and review lessons observed.
Google employees petitioned the company to enhance privacy protections for users seeking abortion information online, The Associated Press reports. More than 650 Google employees sent a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai and other Alphabet executives that called for the company to increase privacy protections for users. For example, one demand was to block advertisements that could direct users to “pregnancy crisis” centers instead of abortion services.
Australia’s Minister for Health and Aged Care decided the country’s COVIDSafe application would no longer be used as of Aug. 16. Under the Privacy Act 1988, the government developed a legal framework for citizens to provide personal data through the app to help authorities “prevent or control” the spread of COVID-19. The National COVIDSafe Data Store administrator is now required to no longer collect data through the app and remove the app from stores for download.