Enforcement updates
CNIL, the French Data Protection Authority, sanctioned a fine of EUR 1,500,000 on Dedalus Biologie for a massive data leak involving the dissemination of the names, social security numbers, and medical information of 500,000 people. Dedalus is a company that markets software solutions for medical analysis laboratories.
The U.S. Ninth Circuit of Appeals affirmed its earlier preliminary injunction where it held that LinkedIn could not prevent HiQ, a data analytics company, from collecting and using information shared by LinkedIn users on their public profiles. HiQ uses automated bots to scrape information from LinkedIn profiles and sell it to business clients. HiQ argued that letting established entities that accumulate large user data sets determine who may scrape data from public sites would give such entities excessive control over how that data may be used.
The Dutch DPA issued a fine of EUR 565,000 to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs for serious infringement of GDPR in the process of issuing visas. The digital system used by the Ministry was held inadequately secure and prone to the risk of unauthorized access. Further, the Ministry failed to provide visa applicants with sufficient information on sharing of personal data with third parties.
Guidance updates
- UK Data Protection Authority (ICO) issued guidance for organizations’ use of personal information amid relaxations of COVID-19 measures.
- Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry released guides for the practice of the Digital Governance Code and introduction to artificial for small and medium-sized enterprises.
- Australian Department of Treasury completed its consultation on “Consumer Data Right Sectoral Assessment for the Open Finance sector – Non-Bank Lending.”
Regulatory updates
- Amendments to Japan’s Act on the Protection of Personal Information came into effect on 1 April 2022.
- Australian Parliament confirmed that the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure Protection) Act 2022 commenced on 1 April 2022.
- Italy’s Regulation on the Establishment and Functioning of the Public Register of Subscribers who Oppose the Use of their Personal Data and their Telephone Number for Sales or Commercial Promotions has entered into force on 13 April 2022.
UK updates
- ICO launched a consultation to review the data obtained through its breach reporting form on its website. Responses may be submitted by 30 April 2022.
- High court of UK ruled that sharing bulk personal data by UK’s intelligence agencies with foreign intelligence agencies is legal.
EU updates
- German Data Protection Commissioner criticized the country’s delayed implementation of the EU data protection directive. Reports Euractive
- Ukrainian Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights warns against malware that may harm Ukrainian information infrastructure and collect personal data.
- Hamburg’s Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information welcomed Google’s “reject all” option on cookie banners. Reports Competition Policy International
US updates
- Changes in the Supreme Court are likely to impact surveillance. Reports Brennan Center for Justice
- Warrant for Metadata Act was proposed in the House of Representatives.
- Secretary of the Department of Commerce issued a statement on the establishment of the Global Cross Border Privacy Rules Forum.
China updates
- Chinese National Science and Technology Ethics Committee to release a list of high-risk scientific and technological activities in science and technology ethics.
- Beijing Municipal Communications Administration issued a circular on removal of 16 apps that infringe the rights of users.
India updates
- Chief Justice of India said future litigation likely to be on issues regarding data protection, AI, and cryptocurrencies. Reports Hindustan Times
- Comptroller and Auditor General addressed privacy concerns in a report on the Functioning of Unique Identification Authority of India.
News around the globe
- American rehabilitation facilities provider notified data privacy incident. Reports PR Newswire
- Medical billing company, Advanced Medical Practice Management announced data breach.
- Bank of Ireland may face civil cases after investigation finds alteration of credit history of customers. Reports Irish Examiner
Big tech updates
- Study finds Apple’s App Tracking Transparency measure made tracking by apps more difficult.
- Clearview AI plans to use facial recognition technology to validate bank transactions. Reports The Associated Press
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