Category: Privacy

Categories
Europe Featured Guest Post Meta Privacy Region Tech News Uncategorized Unicorns

Irish Data Protection Commission Fines Facebook €17m For Breaching EU Data Privacy Laws in 2018

The Irish Data Protection Commission has hit Facebook with a fine of €17m after finding they did not fully comply with GDPR. The decision followed an inquiry by the commission into 12 breach notifications it received in six months period between June and December 2018, examining their compliance with GDPR requirements for personal data processing at different points during this time frame.

The Data Protection Commission found that Meta Platforms failed to put in place adequate technical and organizational measures, which would make it easy for them to demonstrate the security precautions they implemented. This is despite having 12 personal data breaches.

According to The Irish data watchdog, Meta’s platforms had “failed to have in place appropriate technical and organizational measures” in the context of the 12 personal data breaches.

Ireland has a well-established tradition in regulating the tech industry, especially with regard to internet companies that have their European Union headquarters there.

References:

  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9yenpgjwzo#
  • https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/15/facebook-2018-breaches-dpc-decision/
  • https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2022/0315/1286598-facebook-fined-by-dpc/
Categories
Featured Guest Post IoT Privacy Tech News Uncategorized

The TV Network HBO is Being Sued for Sharing Subscriber Data With Facebook

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Angel McDaniel and Constance Simon against HBO has accused the company of violating their privacy by sharing subscriber viewing data with Facebook. The case was brought forth by Bursor & Fisher.

According to an article from Malwarebytes.com, HBO is being accused of sharing customer data with Facebook, which then uses that information to match viewers’ viewing habits. The suit argues this violates the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA) – a law passed in 1988 aimed at protecting video privacy rights.

As technology continues to evolve, the VPPA is becoming more relevant than ever. The law protects people’s private video rental records from being exposed online or onto other devices like smart TVs because these types of businesses have fallen out popularity in recent years with advancements that led consumers towards streaming services instead; however there are still cases where individuals’ personal information could be compromised through IoT setups which lead us into an era where everything has been digitized- including your home videos.

The suit claims that HBO partnered with Facebook to retarget their ads and harvest user data without permission. This can be seen in the privacy policy for this company, which states subscribers must agree first before viewing history is used by companies.

You can check the case documents here

Reference: https://blog.malwarebytes.com/privacy-2/2022/03/hbo-sued-for-sharing-subscriber-data-with-facebook/