Adhering to data privacy laws such as California’s CCPA requires vigilance. With respect to these privacy laws, academics are now asking whether they are serving their intended purpose.
“Got workers in California? It’s time to brush up on the state’s data privacy law,” HR Drive- August 30th, 2021
California’s data privacy law (CCPA), the first in the country, governs the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information. Even though the law has not existed for a long-time, it is critical that companies ramp-up their privacy protocols to avoid risking significant enforcement actions.
“Data privacy laws in the US protect profit but prevent sharing data for public good – people want the opposite,” Yahoo News- August 30th, 2021
In a rebuttal to the broad benefits of enacted data privacy laws, professors at Texas A & M argue that these laws often result in restricting access to important data such as information about coronavirus cases which could help reduce the number of cases. On the other hand, businesses and other data collectors are often able to circumvent these laws for profit opportunities and other risky activities.
Not surprisingly, the EU has assessed a record fine for WhatsApp’s well-publicized privacy breaches. In addition to applications such as WhatsApp, privacy also continues to be eroded by many other devices.
“WhatsApp is fined $267 million for breaching EU privacy rules,” CNBC- September 2nd, 2021
Fines for breaches of privacy laws continue to increase. As an example, WhatsApp, a fully-owned subsidiary of Facebook, was fined a record $267 mm for failing to inform citizens how their data will be used. Stating that it will appeal, it is another example of Facebook not accepting responsibility for violations of privacy laws.
“I always feel like somebody’s watching me…’ The Legalities of Smart Devices and Privacy,” The National Law Review- September 1st, 2021
People are becoming more aware that their data is not only being collected by Siri and Alexa, it is then being analyzed using artificial intelligence to compile a more detailed profile of users of these devices. For those concerned, they must protect themselves by carefully choosing which devices to use.
“Is Big Tech falling in line with UK’s child digital privacy laws?” T_HQ- September 3rd, 2021
Protecting our children’s privacy while online is of great concern and needs to be improved. Fortunately, there are regulations being enacted and new protocols from companies focused on child privacy while they are online.