United Kingdom
Improved privacy for children’s wristband scheme
- The privacy safeguards on wristbands to improve and monitor children’s health have been checked by The Office of the Data Protection Authority (ODPA); Guernsey’s Health Improvement Commission and the wristband’s manufacturer.
- These wristbands are to be given to schoolchildren in Guernsey to “track children’s activity levels”.
- Privacy safeguards on the scheme include parents actively opt in children to the program.
First UK-US online safety agreement pledges closer co-operation to keep children safe online
- The first joint statement on online safety between UK and US governments has been published, calling for platforms to “go further and faster” to protect children.
- A new joint government working group on children’s online safety will be introduced, working on key areas including promoting better transparency from platforms and consider researcher’s access to privacy-preserving data on social media, helping better understand the impacts and risks of the digital world on young people, including new technologies like generative AI.
- The US and UK will share expertise on safety technologies, promote greater platform transparency and consider the impact of new tech including generative AI.
United States
Cyber insurance market shifts focus to AI and data privacy risks, says WSIA panel
- A panel at the WSIA Annual Marketplace in San Diego discussed the evolving cyber insurance landscape, focusing on a shift toward longer-tail claims.
- Deuayne Crawford, head of wholesale cyber and technology underwriting for AXA XL, highlighted new risks tied to unauthorized data collection, including the use of pixel technology without proper disclosure or consent, raising privacy and regulatory concerns. He also pointed to trends in artificial intelligence (AI) involving intellectual property infringement and privacy issues.
- The panel identified cyber risks as dynamic, requiring a flexible approach from insurance.
Europe
Privacy watchdog says focus on access to bank accounts
- Italy’s privacy watchdog has said it will focus on protesting access to bank accounts following a worker of Intesa Sanpaolo (Italy’s biggest bank) accessing the accounts of Premier Georgia Meloni, and people associated with her.
- Pasquale Stanzione, president of the Guarantor for the protection of personal data, has said they “have launched a timely request for information”, and “turned a spotlight on a disturbing phenomenon”.
Privacy fears grow as France extends AI surveillance beyond Olympics
- France’s AI-powered video surveillance in public spaces (introduced for the 2024 Olympics) has been extended to March 2025. The video surveillance uses AI to detect behaviours like crowd movements and abandoned objects, and has been criticised for its potential to infringe on individual rights.
- The extension of this technology has been extended despite an evaluation report on the ethics of this technology not due until the end of the year. Critics worry that future developments could push the boundaries of privacy.
- Digital freedom outfit, Le Quadrature du Net, said the system disproportionately targets certain groups and expands everyday surveillance.
International
Apple’s iPhone Mirroring Flaw Exposes Employee Privacy Risks
- A bug in Apple’s new iPhone mirroring feature enables personal apps on an iPhone to be listed in a company’s software inventory when the feature is used on work computers, creating a significant privacy concern for employees.
- The iPhone mirroring integrates iOS app metadata into the macOS environment, allowing corporate IT departments to access metadata about personal applications, although no actual app data is transferred.
- Risks from this bug include exposure of sensitive aspects of a user’s personal life, including their use of VPNs, dating apps or health-related services.
These car brands are collecting and sharing your data with third parties
- Investigation by consumer advocacy group Choice found most of Australia’s popular car brands collect and share “driver data”.
- Carmakers add microphones, sensors and other internet-connected features, cars are fast becoming all-seeing data-harvesting machines dubbed “smartphones on wheels”.
- Both Hyundai and Kia collect voice recognition data from inside cars, selling it to an AI software training company.
