Hi everyone,

This week, we are paying greater attention to the forthcoming EU General Data Protection Regulation. With the deadline now less than a year away, the banking industry is concerned about meeting the obligations under the GDPR in time, citing technical challenges.

On the other hand, Microsoft is touting the steps it is taking to get ready for the looming deadline and helping its customers do the same. Microsoft is planning to release its new Risk and Compliance Dashboard that provides customers a quantitative assessment to track their progress to GDPR compliance. Similarly, IBM is integrating GDPR features into its Resilient Incident Response Platform, which includes a privacy module, incident simulator and a preparatory guide.

Still confused? In a Privacy Tracker series, we are looking at laws from across the globe and matching them up against the GDPR to help you understand the GDPR’s impact and avoid duplicating compliance efforts. Our most recent installment compares the principles of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation’s Privacy Framework and Cross-Border Privacy Rules with the principles expressed by the GDPR.

Of course, cybersecurity remains a sensitive topic in Australia as police investigate a second major privacy breach at a Melbourne high school that resulted in unauthorized access to families’ personal information. Greater awareness of cybersecurity issues has us here in Australia concerned about how to protect our privacy from smart power meters and the rise of “stalkerware,” which can be used to track a person’s movements and record all their communications.

In regional developments, China’s new cybersecurity law also took effect on Thursday. Earlier in the week, the Financial Times reported many organizations were worried this new law is so vague and wide in scope that it will increase an organization’s costs and leave them more vulnerable to industrial espionage.

There is also greater awareness of the lessons learned from the WannaCry cyberattack. In our Privacy Tech article, we outline some strategies to help organizations deal with prevention, mitigation and successful recovery from ransomware attacks.