Chinese authorities are said to be preparing to hit Didi Global, the ride-hailing app, with a $1.28 billion fine, approximately 4.7% last year’s revenue. While that should sting, ironically it may also help lift China’s current ban on Didi’s new riders. Thinking here that taking with one hand while giving with the other may not be the optimal deterrent.
Documents found by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reveal the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has widely tracked people’s movement. Of more than 6,000 records reviewed, the agency found approximately 336,000 North American location points. Over three days in 2018 in the southwest alone, 26 location points were tracked per minute. This, due to the DHS purchasing information from data broker Venntel, which had siphoned it from smartphone apps, so was not obligated to the same privacy restraints.
The US, which has been trying to solve its cross-border data sharing dilemma resulting from laxer privacy regulations than other countries, has found a willing first partner in the UK. The US and UK have set October to begin their Data Access Agreement, which stems from the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act. The deal allows investigators in each country to directly ask service providers in the others’ jurisdiction to provide data they deem helpful in detecting and preventing serious crime, including in child sexual abuse cases.
Salesforce has reversed course on its bid to acquire data management and integration platform Informatica a source has told Reuters. Informatica itself said that it is not in talks to be acquired. Salesforce stocks rose on this latest news while Informatica’s fell.