Wyoming’s Genetic Data Privacy Act has been signed into law and will go into effect July 1st. Businesses in the state that collect genetic data must be transparent with individuals about collection, use and disclosure; and must obtain express consent before collecting the data. The state’s Attorney General can levy penalties of up to $2,500 for violation.
The Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), passed in 1988 to protect personal data of Blockbuster and VHS rental customers, has recently been used in suits against streaming services including Hulu, AMC and ESPN. Now, a federal class action suit out of New York accuses HBO of violating the VPPA because it shares customer lists with Facebook, which can subsequently use the HBO data and Facebook’s profile data to ascertain customer viewing habits.
The rapidly evolving war between Russia and Ukraine has moved us into uncharted digital waters with complicated alliances and offensive and defensive actions being taken on both sides. Risks are exacerbated by many factors, including that governments, businesses, cybergroups and individuals are quickly taking sides, bring their own agenda and tactics, and most critically, that there’s no clear oversight or way to assess what the consequences may be.
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that could potentially ban TikTok in the U.S. if its Chinese owner, ByteDance, does not sell its holdings within a year. The bill now goes to the President Biden, who has said he will sign it. Court challenges are likely to follow.