The avalanche of lawsuits to enforce breaches of data privacy rules continues at a rapid pace. Not only do data holders need to be concerned about violations from big tech, but a new class of data criminals and fraudsters as well. Privacy focused technology companies must come together to over-power big tech companies that continue to ignore the importance of privacy controls.
“Apple Releases The iPhone Update That Facebook Has Been Worried About For Months,” CNBC- April 26, 2021
- Apple, the Big Tech firm that seems to take privacy issues most seriously, released an update giving users “more transparency and control over apps that want to track them for advertising.” Facebook is greatly concerned about this update as this modification will likely reduce the effectiveness and profitability of targeted advertisements. This development is a major victory for privacy rights advocates and a square punch in the nose to companies such as Facebook that want as much personal data as possible to increase the value of their advertising.
“Google Is Facing A Lawsuit After A Privacy Flaw In Its Contact Tracing Tech Exposed Android Users’ Data To Third-Party Apps,” MSN- April 28, 2021
- Once again, Google is facing another lawsuit concerning a “bug in its contact tracing technology” developed to help alert people exposed to Covid-19. Google, it is contended, knew about the exposure of the data, but did not inform the public. Come-on Google! Do not turn an important social action to help fight the spread of Covid-19 and then not protect this data.
“Data Poverty Is Keeping Fraudsters in Business,” Forbes- April 29, 2021
- As opined by Ari Jacoby, Forbes Councils Member and CEO of cybersecurity provider Deduce, “with identity fraud cases doubling from 2019 to 2020,… sharing actionable data that doesn’t put my company at risk and helps every vendor in the space equally is a no-brainer.” Ari is advocating that cybersecurity firms share certain data to band together to reduce cybercrime. Data democratization is critical in this fight, he argues. We should ask whether cybersecurity companies sharing our data is the right tool to prevent these new band of scoundrels from stealing data.
“TikTok Hit With Biometric Data Privacy Suit Under GDPR,” Biometric Update- April 26, 2021
- Major lawsuits continue to be prosecuted in the UK as TikTok is facing a lawsuit concerning alleged intentional violations of children’s data protection rules as a result of the companies’ collection of biometrics and other data. The lawsuit contends that this illegal data collection was done on purpose without sufficient notice, transparency, and consent. We should not be surprised about the reoccurring misuse of personal data.
The reality of the data privacy battle is not one-way street to victory. While there has been progress in States enacting data privacy protection laws, laws in many other states are languishing in the political process or have been outright rejected.
“The Current State Of U.S. State Data Privacy Laws,” The Drum- April 26, 2021
- As expected, more states are focused on proposing and enacting their own data privacy laws. However, passing these laws is not a foregone conclusion as last week two bills were killed in Washington and Oklahoma. While there are data privacy laws at various stages of the legislative process, they are all going to be hotly contested by Big Tech and have no assurance of passing. Make no mistake about it, fighting for data privacy rights is war.