Privacy and Data Protection

The Irish Data Protection Commissioner has fined WhatsApp, which provides an encrypted communication service, €5.5 million (£4.8m) after finding the company is unlawfully relying on a contract with its users to comply with GDRP data protection requirements. The decision, announced today, will have wider implications for companies that collect data about their users and raises the question whether WhatsApp and other companies that use behaviour advertising will need to obtain explicit consent from their users to process their data in future. The DPC imposed the fine on Meta and WhatsApp, which has its headquarters in Ireland, and employs around 3,000 people in the country reluctantly - after the European Data Protection Board forced its hand by overturning a more lenient draft decision from the DPC in December 2022.

The High Court case against Meta could set a precedent for millions of UK users to object to their personal data being collected and processed for advertising purposes

Google settled with 40 states in the largest such deal in U.S. history, according to a group of state attorneys general.

ICO warning highlights risk of “systemic bias” and discrimination associated with organisations using biometric data and technologies for emotion analysis

Colleges and K-12 campuses increasingly monitor student emails, social media, and more. Here’s how to secure your (or your child’s) privacy.

Constantly posting content on social media can erode your privacy—and sense of self.

Churches are using invasive phone-monitoring tech to discourage “sinful” behavior. Some software is seeing more than congregants realize.

The US regulator is eager to end unfair use of artificial intelligence and commercial surveillance, but experts remain skeptical.

Email marketing service Mailchimp has suffered its third data breach in a year, but has been praised for being open about its latest attack

German schools cannot legally use Microsoft Office 365 over lack of clarity about how data is collected, shared and used, as well as the potential for unlawful transfer of European citizens’ personal data to the US.

New research found pervasive use of tracking tech on substance-abuse-focused health care websites, potentially endangering users in a post-Roe world.

Department entrusted data on 28 million children to a company called Trustopia, which turned out to be anything but trustworthy, but has escaped a £10m fine under new rules.

Stadiums around the world, including at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, are subjecting spectators to invasive biometric surveillance tech.

Digital surveillance is now a common feature of the UK’s post-pandemic economy, says Prospect Union, adding to growing calls for workers to be given a greater say over how technologies are deployed in the workplace.

Digital privacy invasion isn’t just a consumer protection issue. It’s inextricably linked to equality, with urgent implications for women and minorities.

Want to speak up against Big Tech, unjust data collection, and surveillance? Here's how to be an activist in your community and beyond.

Despite having one of the strongest data-protection policies in Africa, the country’s enforcement and disclosure practices remain dangerously broken.

Tired of advertisers spying on your private communications? This beta promises to kick tracking technology to the curb.