An anonymous hacker claims to have the records of one billion Chinese residents that were obtained from Shanghai’s police database, and is offering it for sale for approximately $200,000. While neither authorities nor hacker contact information have confirmed the claim so far, it comes just when China has promised enhanced data protection.
While having location data is quite valuable to Google, the company announced it will begin automatically deleting location history when it deems there could be personal risks. This includes visits to abortion, weight loss and cosmetic surgery centers, and to fertility clinics. Google is also making it easier to delete data from app logs, and it has committed to transparency and advocacy to not divulge excessive personal information in instances of governmental or law enforcement requests.
The US Department of Health & Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS OCR) published privacy guidelines to address HIPAA compliance concerns following the Dobbs abortion decision. It clarifies that providers are not required to disclose protected private medical information to third parties, and it addresses when HIPAA, which protects medical information, allows for disclosure. This comes at a time when a number of states are considering passing abortion legislation. President Biden is said to be planning to formally ask the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to act to help protect women's abortion rights.
Procrastinators of the world can throw a party whenever they get around to it: Google has once more pushed back complete third-party cookie deprecation. The new target is “early next year.” Reasons for the delay include concerns expressed by U.K. data regulator Information Commissioner’s Office, an ongoing inquiry by the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, and widespread discontent in the advertising ecosystem.