Tag: Privacy-Enhancing Technology

(Oct 17, 2018) On Tuesday, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology initiated its process for the development of a privacy framework to a room full of privacy professionals here in Austin, Texas. The first in a series of public workshops, officials from NIST described the framework as a "voluntary enterprise risk-management tool." The framework is intended to be a collaborative effort with public and private sectors to help organizations "better identify, assess, manage, and communicate privacy... Read More

(Oct 17, 2018) The IAPP has released the "Q4" version of its Privacy Tech Vendor Report. When the IAPP first released its initial version of the report at the beginning of 2017, it contained fewer than 50 companies. Since then, the report has grown to become the de facto resource for privacy professionals looking to invest in technology to help operationalize their programs. With this fourth iteration of 2018, the report now includes 192 vendors represented in 10 different categories, with dynamic tables of co... Read More

(Oct 15, 2018) Privacy-centric browser DuckDuckGo announced it has topped 30 million daily searches, Forbes reports. The company posted on Twitter it took seven years for DuckDuckGo to eclipse 10 million searches and another two years to hit 20 million. The jump to 30 million daily searches represents a 50 percent growth from 2017. "With increased scrutiny on big tech, the tides have shifted, and consumers aren’t just looking for great service anymore, they’re also looking for responsible corporate stewardship... Read More

(Oct 9, 2018) The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a report on blockchain. The report offers an overview of how blockchain works and seeks to emphasize the limitations and misconceptions around the technology. The overview covers the history of blockchain, the difference between permissioned and permissionless models, the components of blockchain, and various consensus models. “The use of blockchain technology is still in its early stages, but it is built on widely understood a... Read More

(Oct 5, 2018) BlackBerry announced it has developed a set of tools aimed at improving data privacy in emerging health care technologies, TechRepublic reports. Included in the toolkit is a blockchain solution to enable safer storage and transfer of medical data and a new operating system for secure medical devices, plus the company announced a partnership with the Melanoma Institute Australia and the Mackenzie Innovation Institute to focus on health care innovation. BlackBerry CEO John Chen said, "We are apply... Read More

(Oct 3, 2018) The IAB Technology Laboratory unveiled its blockchain protocol designed to give companies the ability to track data subjects’ consent, MediaPost reports. PrivacyChain, which is under review for public comment, allows users to choose the data topics retailers can use, such as names, email addresses, location and gender. The protocol offers details on each data transaction, including who received the information and when it was shared. PrivacyChain could potentially be used to assist in compliance... Read More

(Oct 1, 2018) ZDNet reports that Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the man credited with inventing the world wide web 28 years ago, launched a new open-source project, called Solid, to put data back in the hands of internet users. In a post for Medium, Berners-Lee writes, “Solid changes the current model where users have to hand over personal data to digital giants in exchange for perceived value. As we’ve all discovered, this hasn’t been in our best interests. Solid is how we evolve the web in order to restore balance — ... Read More

(Sep 27, 2018) France’s data protection authority, the CNIL, has released a report on blockchain and the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The CNIL states the GDPR applies to the use of blockchain in any instance where personal data is handled. The DPA seeks to conduct an analysis of the technology to determine its impact on data subjects’ right to privacy and right to protect their personal information. The agency notes the GDPR has been created to regulate data use, not any particular form of technology... Read More

(Sep 26, 2018) The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Cybersecurity for the Internet of Things and Privacy Engineering Programs has issued a draft internal report on managing cybersecurity and privacy risks in IoT devices. Draft NISTIR 8228: Considerations for Managing IoT Cybersecurity and Privacy Risks is open for public comment until Oct. 24. The draft identifies three considerations that may affect IoT privacy and security and includes recommendations for organizations on their approach to Io... Read More

(Sep 26, 2018) Mozilla announced it has launched its Firefox Monitor tool designed to notify internet users if their email address has been compromised in a data breach. Mozilla partnered with Security Researcher Troy Hunt and his site, Have I Been Pwned, in the creation of the tool. Users first enter their email address into Firefox Monitor to see if their email address has been previously impacted by a data breach. After the initial scan, users can sign up for the service to be notified about any future inci... Read More