Tag: privacy

China’s TikTok Admits Its Staff Can Spy on User Data in Other Countries

The Chinese media platform TikTok admitted that its staff in China has the ability to access the private accounts data in the United Kingdom and the European Union. This comes after years of criticism from around the world, particularly in Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States over concerns that personal information could be…


UK Warns TikTok Could Face £27 Million Fine for Failing to Protect Children’s Privacy

The Chinese-owned social media site TikTok could face a £27 million ($29 million) fine after British authorities found that it may have breached UK data protection law by failing to protect children’s privacy. On Monday, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said in a statement that the video-sharing platform may have processed the data of…


Millions Affected in Massive Data Breach of Australian Telco

The private information of millions of Australians is at risk after major telecommunications firm Optus suffered a cyber attack that breached its firewall. On Sept. 22, Optus confirmed that hackers got access to the names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, and potentially the driver’s licence, passport numbers, and addresses, of millions of current…


Phone Numbers, Passport Details of Millions of Australians Lost in Massive Hack of Telco

The private information of 9.8 million Australians is at risk after major telecommunications firm Optus suffered a cyber attack that breached its firewall. On Sept. 22, Optus confirmed that hackers got access to the names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, and potentially the driver’s licence, passport numbers, and addresses, of millions of current…


Phone Numbers, Passport Details of 10 Million Australians Lost in Massive Telco Hack

The private information of 9.8 million Australians is at risk after major telecommunications firm Optus suffered a cyber attack that breached its firewall. On Sept. 22, Optus confirmed that hackers got access to the names, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, and potentially the driver’s licence, passport numbers, and addresses, of millions of current…


White House Exploring Risks, Benefits of Central Bank Digital Currency

The Biden administration is “closely examining” the possibilities for issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) based on a technical report prepared by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (pdf), along with other reports. “If the U.S. pursued a CBDC, there could be many possible benefits, such as facilitating efficient and low-cost…


Facebook to Appeal Australian High Court’s Decision Involving Cambridge Analytica Scandal

Facebook will launch an appeal at the Australian High Court after it was alleged to have breached over 311,000 Australian Facebook users’ privacy. It comes after the Federal Court rejected the social media giant’s claim it does not carry business in Australia or store Australian information. In early 2020, the Australian information watchdog launched legal…


Privacy Complaint Targets Google Over Unsolicited Ad Emails

PARIS—Google has breached a European Union court ruling by sending unsolicited advertising emails directly to the inbox of Gmail users, Austrian advocacy group noyb.eu said on Wednesday in a complaint filed with France’s data protection watchdog. The Alphabet unit, whose revenues mainly come from online advertising, should ask Gmail users for their prior consent before…


Parents Wary of Digital Hall Pass That Records Students’ Movements

In the old days, when a student requested a bathroom visit during classroom time, the teacher handed them a hall pass made of paper or sometimes a wooden block. Now, many schools are taking the hall pass digital with SmartPass, a hall pass application that tracks students and generates weekly reports about trends in their…


Privacy Experts Disagree With RCMP That Spyware Is Similar to Wiretapping

Privacy experts say police and government use of “extremely intrusive” spyware needs to be tightly controlled, and the technology should be outlawed for the general Canadian public. Former privacy commissioner Daniel Therrien told the committee he was not aware the RCMP has been using what it calls “on-device investigative tools” for more than a decade….