TikTok, the now widely popular social media platform that allows users to create, share, and discover, short video clips has been enjoying explosive growth since it appeared in 2017. Since then, it hasn’t stopped growing—more so during the current pandemic. While we can no longer categorize TikTok as a kids’ app, most concerns about the app have been around the privacy of children. You … [Read more...]
$12m Grindr fine shows GDPR’s got teeth
As thoughts turn to Data Privacy this week in a big way, GDPR illustrates it isn’t an afterthought. Grindr, the popular social network and dating platform, will likely suffer a $12 million USD fine due to privacy related complaints. What happened here, and what are the implications for future cases? What is GDPR? The General Data Protection Regulation is a robust set of rules for data … [Read more...]
Washington Privacy Act welcomed by corporate and nonprofit actors
The steady parade of US data privacy legislation continued last month in Washington with the introduction of an improved bill that would grant state residents the rights to access, control, delete, and port their data, as well as opting out of data sales. The bill, called the Washington Privacy Act, also improves upon its earlier 2019 version, providing stronger safeguards on the use of facial … [Read more...]
The top six takeaways for corporate data privacy compliance
For nearly two months, Malwarebytes Labs has led readers on a journey through data privacy laws around the world, exploring the nuances between “personal information” and “personal data,” as well as between data breach notification laws in Florida, Utah, California, and Iowa. We explored the risks of jumping into the global data privacy game, comparing the European Union’s laws with the laws … [Read more...]
What is personal information? In legal terms, it depends
In early March, cybersecurity professionals around the world filled the San Francisco Moscone Convention Center’s sprawling exhibition halls to discuss and learn about everything infosec, from public key encryption to incident response, and from machine learning to domestic abuse. It was RSA Conference 2019, and Malwarebytes showed up to attend and present. Our Wednesday afternoon session—“One … [Read more...]
Results of Facebook investigation coming this summer, says DPC
Ireland’s DPC (Data Protection Commission) has said it will release the findings of its investigation into Facebook and several other high-profile tech companies in June or July. Commissioner Helen Dixon told Bloomberg: “We’re at various concrete stages in all of them, but they’re all substantially advanced.” The DPC began its investigation in October 2018, following consumer complaints … [Read more...]
The GDPR: What exactly is personal data?
Personal data is at the heart of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), but many people are still unsure exactly what ‘personal data’ refers to. There’s no definitive list of what is or isn’t personal data, so it all comes down to properly interpreting the GDPR’s definition: ‘[P]ersonal data’ means any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person (‘data … [Read more...]