CDP Institute

It’s not clear yet what database was used to source information for messages which contained voter names and their specific polling places, but the Media Council of Southern Africa (MISA), a non-governmental rights organization, is investigating it.

Samsung recently lifted a ban on employee use of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and may regret that now since three employees leaked confidential information while enlisting ChatGPT’s help, in one case by sharing source code, in a second sharing code trying to fix equipment, and in a third to draft meeting notes. ChatGPT captured the sensitive data, which OpenAI can access and use, according to its agreement with users.

Google announced that Android apps on the Play Store will, as early as 2024 allow easy account deletion and the ability to wipe data upon user request. Developers will have until December 7th to assure Google appropriate changes are in place. This follows a similar move by Apple regarding apps and is in line with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed rule changes to provide users with more control over subscriptions and memberships.

Washington State’s My Health, My Data Act (ESHB 1155) has Senate approval and has been sent to the House with some amendments. Pending that approval, it will go to the governor to sign. The bill is important because it is enforceable under the Washington Consumer Protection Act and Attorney General and would allow citizens to access, delete, and withdraw consent from the collection, sharing, or selling of their health data and allow private right of action for injunction, recovery of damages and attorney fees.

Fear of penalties, litigation and reputational backlash has prompted a surprising number of companies, 42%, to pressure their IT and security staff to hide data breaches from regulators and customers, according to Bitdefender’s 2023 Cybersecurity Assessment. The survey of more than 400 IT professionals at companies of more than 1,000 employees, found that while 94% report being very or somewhat confident in their security tools, 52% had a data breach in the last 12 months and 29% admitted to not reporting a breach.

TikTok which has been raising alarms in many countries over its data handling has just been fined £12.7 million by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Charges include that they allowed millions of underage UK children to use their platform without parental or caregiver consent, and that they failed to properly protect children’s data.

The new chatbot, rolled out to select users late March, is slated for incorporation into Google products in the coming months. But the Center for Digital Hate found it generating 100 false and potentially harmful narratives, including on climate, Covid-19, LGBTQ+, antisemitism, and racism.

Responding to a cease-and-desist order in Germany resulting from a lawsuit, Tesla advertising there will warn that its ‘sentry mode,’ records a car’s surroundings and may risk infringing on data privacy laws. But that leaves to the consumer the job of turning the car camera on & off in public spaces, so it doesn’t infringe on someone’s privacy.

European Union users will be able to opt-out of “some” Facebook and Instagram targeted advertising. But, despite EU regulators’ ruling that Meta lacks legal basis for behavioral ad targeting, the company isn’t making opting-out automatic, or easy. Users will need to submit a form objecting to having activity monitored, which Meta will evaluate and decide on. Meta is also working to appeal the ruling and the fines – plus is arguing it still can target using personalized ads.

The global shopping app has been found to be able to spy on users in “highly unusual,” highly invasive ways. Boasting 750 million+ users/mo. just in China, Pinduoduo surpassed Alibaba for market size in 2021. Now, cybersecurity teams from Asia, Europe and the US flagged the Chinese app after detecting unusual malware that can exploit vulnerabilities phone operating systems and bypass security to monitor activities on other apps, read private messages and change settings. Concerns have been raised with Chinese regulators, and Google suspended the app pending investigation.

New Zealand passes the Digital Identity Service Trust Framework law, which will grant a trust seal of approval of technology providers who demonstrate approved standards for security and compliance.

A study from Twilio drawing on insights from 4,700 B2C leaders and more than 6,000 consumers, found 98% of consumers want businesses to do more to guarantee privacy; and 42% of business leaders said finding a balance that honors that is a top priority.  Additionally, 97% of brands expect investment in digital customer engagement to double over three years and 89% plan to move to first-party and zero-party data.