Even though United States federal privacy legislation is not expected anytime soon, legislation has advanced in countries such as India. In places like France, enforcement actions with hefty fines has continued in early 2022.
“India’s Draft Data Protection Bill Moves Closer to Passage,” The National Law Review- January 6th, 2022
After two years of deliberation, India is close to passing a GDPR-inspired data protection law. This bill would protect both personal and non-personal data and enforce strict data breach reporting requirements. One of the most important provisions is requiring consumer consent to collect data.
“Facebook, Google Slapped With Hefty Fines by French Privacy Watchdogs,” AdWeek- January 7th, 2022
French Privacy Watchdog, CNIL fined Google over 150 million euros. CNIL claimed that the platform made it harder for users to reject cookies. Facebook also faces hefty fines for the same violation. Google and Facebook heavily rely on cookies as a way to personalize advertising. While a user can consent to cookies by simply clicking a button, it requires more clicks to decline cookies.
As the metaverse becomes increasingly ingrained in society, questions about privacy have grown. Importantly, UK data watchdog is scrutinizing Meta over child privacy concerns.
“Come the Metaverse, Can Privacy Exist?” The Wall Street Journal- January 4th, 2022
There are growing concerns over regulating metaverses, particularly Facebook’s Meta. Virtual reality worlds can not only be addictive, but also absorbs and risks misuse of a lot of users’ personal data. As the metaverse data economy begins to take shape, it will become increasingly important for the government to pass new laws to protect users’ privacy.
“UK data watchdog seeks talks with Meta over child protection concerns,” The Guardian- January 9th, 2022
UK data watchdog is concerned about Meta’s popular virtual reality headset that could breach an online children’s safety code. Currently, there are no parental controls with the Oculus VR headsets. Parental controls “would allow parents to block content that could be harmful to children.” When designing new technology for children, safety and privacy must be taken into account.