Hello from my hometown of Izmir, Turkey, where I’m enjoying a chance to visit my family and friends after a very long time and taking in a bit of sea and summer.
As the peak of summer wanes, lawmakers and regulators around the world remain perennially busy with privacy and data protection concerns. Across the pond, the German state of Hamburg’s DPA issued a formal warning — under EU General Data Protection Regulation Article 58(2)(a) — to the government about its use of Zoom, which it alleges is in violation of the GDPR due to its transfer of data to the U.S. Indeed, this is another in a string of privacy developments showing the legacy of "Schrems II" is anything but in the past.
In data breach news this week, the FCC announced plans to investigate T-Mobile over a breach affecting nearly 50 million past, current and potential customers. The data stolen included first and last names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and driver’s license information. Another big U.S. privacy development this week was a decision by a bipartisan group of senators — including several active in introducing federal privacy legislation — to send a letter to Tik Tok's CEO asking for more details about its recent expansion of data collection to include “faceprints and voiceprints.”
If you are looking for some privacy research reading material for the weekend, a new report from KPMG just came out that surveyed both business leaders and the general public about corporate data responsibility. It found 70% of companies have increased their data collection practices over the past year, while 68% of consumers believe the amount of data companies collect about them is “concerning.” Given that nearly 2 in 3 members of the public believe companies are not doing enough to protect personal data, the results of this study show there is a lot of work to do to bridge the gap in consumer trust around privacy.
To conclude, I wanted to mention everyone is invited next week to attend our roundtable discussion on Women’s Equality Day, next Thursday, Aug. 26, which will focus on leveling the playing field. I am very excited to be a part of it and hear from so many exceptional women in privacy, and hope you all can make it as well.
Have a great weekend!