The ByteDance-owned CapCut video editing app gathers significant amounts of private data, including facial scans, from its 200 million active users, generating huge profits and potentially allowing the Chinese government to access that data, according to a proposed class action lawsuit filed in an Illinois federal court. CapCut and sister

5 years of litigation: Meta apparently switches to consent for behavioral ads Meta announced they will soon switch to "consent" for behavioral ads. Exactly what consequences this will have remains to be seen https://noyb.eu/en/5-years-litigation-meta-apparently-switches-consent-behavioral-ads

As EU data protection authorities seek to better harmonize their respective EU General Data Protection Regulation enforcement actions, Opice Blum's Henrique Fabretti Moraes, CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, FIP, CDPO/BR, and Tiago Neves Furtado, CIPP/E, CIPM, FIP, CDPO/BR, write that it's critical for data protection officers to understand

The hardware and software required for the Russian telecommunications sector to maintain the country’s electronic surveillance system, known as the System for Operative Investigative Activities (SORM), are increasingly unavailable, significantly undermining the Russian government’s Orwellian domestic spying system, according to a new report. Western sanctions and export controls

The U.S. government and Microsoft formally accused "China's state-backed hacking teams" of being responsible for stealing EU and U.S. government officials' emails in an operation that began in May, CPO Magazine reports. The Microsoft threat research team claimed Chinese hackers breached more than two dozen entities, including the

Norwegian DPA temporarily bans behavioral advertising on Facebook and Instagram The Norwegian DPA is the first national data protection authority declaring behavioral advertising on Meta platforms illegal. noyb welcomes this decision https://noyb.eu/en/norway-temporary-ban-behavioral-ads-facebook-instagram

As the EU’s AI Act moves into the final phase of negotiations, key battles arise for the protection of human rights. https://edri.org/our-work/all-eyes-on-eu-will-europes-ai-legislation-protect-peoples-rights/

„Pay or Okay“ on tech news site heise.de illegal, decides German DPA The Data Protection Authority of Lower Saxony (LfD) decided that the “Pay or Okay” solution used by heise.de was unlawful https://noyb.eu/en/pay-or-okay-tech-news-site-heisede-illegal-decides-german-dpa

European Commission gives EU-US data transfers third round at CJEU European Commission announces third "Safe Harbor", without substantial changes. noyb will bring third adequacy decision back to CJEU. https://noyb.eu/en/european-commission-gives-eu-us-data-transfers-third-round-cjeu

CJEU declares Meta/Facebook's GDPR approach largely illegal In today's decision, the CJEU declared Meta/Facebook's GDPR approach largely illegal - similar to noyb's previous litigation before the EDPB leading to a fine of € 390 million. https://noyb.eu/en/cjeu-declares-metafacebooks-gdpr-approach-largely-illegal

GDPR Procedures Regulation: "Stripping citizens of procedural rights" Today the European Commission has issued a proposal to fix the (lack of) cooperation between some Data Protection Authorities (DPAs). It is a step back - not forwad. https://noyb.eu/en/gdpr-procedures-regulation-stripping-citizens-procedural-rights

Younger voices are using technology to respond to the needs of marginalized communities and nurture Black healing and liberation. By Kenia Hale, Nate File and Payton Croskey for Boston Review on June 2, 2022 https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/how-a-new-generation-is-combatting-digital-surveillance/

According to a new report by the Human Rights Watch, an algorithmic welfare distribution system funded by the World Bank unfairly and inaccurately quantifies poverty. By Tate Ryan-Mosley for MIT Technology Review on June 13, 2023 https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/06/13/1074551/an-algorithm-intended-to-reduce-poverty-in-jordan-disqualifies-people-in-need/

Afghan refugees’ asylum claims are being rejected because of bad AI translations of Pashto and Dari. By Andrew Deck for Rest of World on April 19, 2023 https://restofworld.org/2023/ai-translation-errors-afghan-refugees-asylum/

Whilst several EU governments are increasingly alert to why encryption is so important, the Council is split between those that are committed to upholding privacy and digital security in Europe, and those that aren’t. The latest draft Council text does not go anywhere near far enough to make scanning

Google changed its privacy policy: "we may collect information that’s publicly available online or from other public sources to help train Google’s AI models and build products and features, like Translate, Bard and Cloud AI capabilities". https://mastodon.social/@LukaszOlejnik/110642930748110311

Ireland: Questionable GDPR procedures now "confidential" Yesterday, the Irish DPC managed a narrow win in Parliament and got a new law passed that shall make criticism of DPC procedures impossible. https://noyb.eu/en/ireland-questionable-gdpr-procedures-now-confidential

Privacy rights group NOYB submitted a complaint to Belgium's data protection authority, the ADP, against U.S.-based companies over alleged privacy violations concerning cellphone data use. The complaint alleges telecommunications provider BISC and fraud prevention firm TeleSign improperly collected and shared data between them on Europeans' cellphone activity.Full

TeleSign secretly profiles half of the world’s mobile phone users TeleSign generates a “reputation score” and sells it to various clients. TeleSign secretly received the mobile phone data from BICS, a Belgian company that provides interconnection services. https://noyb.eu/en/telesign-profiles-half-worlds-phone-users

The hunt for alleged fraudsters by student finance provider Duo affects almost only students with a migration background. Duo is unaware of any wrongdoing and plans to quadruple the number of checks in September. By Anouk Kootstra, Bas Belleman and Belia Heilbron for De Groene Amsterdammer on June 21, 2023

Twenty-four nongovernment organizations wrote the European Commission urging consideration of maintaining appropriate consumer redress as the commission works on legislation to harmonize EU General Data Protection Regulation enforcement, Euractiv reports. The European Commission is expected to publish a proposal in July that would help expedite administrative procedures for GDPR enforcement.

Belgium's Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport and the Netherlands' vehicle authority allege Transport for London's debt collection agency unlawfully obtained citizens' information to issue fines, the Guardian reports. The Dutch authority said European Parking Collection requested individuals' names and addresses through an Italian government agency that was not authorized

Read EDPS Wojciech Wiewiórowski's blogpost to mark World Refugee Day as we pay respect to the courage of refugees that have to flee their countries to escape war, persecutions and other disasters.Welcome back to our podcast, the Newsletter Digest. In episode 5, learn more about XAI, processing data to

What's the news? The government was using the fraud detection tool SyRI until 2020, the exact operation of which no one knew. It was unclear how it selected 'suspicious' addresses. Now it turns out that it leaned on a comprehensive range of 'risk indicators' that meant that even an old

Proposed data-sharing deals between Europol and five states in Central and South America needs explicit safeguards if they are to uphold fundamental rights, the European Data Protection Supervisor said at the beginning of May. Police forces in those states have brutal records of violence and torture. https://edri.org/our-work/