The investigation follows a Dutch report that found privacy concerns with the way Microsoft held public authorities' data in a US-based data centre
TECHNOLOGY POWERING BUSINESS
News Privacy
Ministers Call For Scottish Police To Delay Rollout Of Phone-Hacking Tech
MSPs say more work is needed on the privacy and human rights implications of the controversial tools, which bypass phone encryption to access personal data
Former Mozilla CTO Ordered To Unlock Devices At US Border
Apple staffer and American citizen Andreas Gal detained by US border agents after refusing to unlock devices
WhatsApp To Stop Users Being Added To Groups Without Consent
New privacy controls stops users being added to group chats they didn't give permission to join
ICO Calls On Facebook To Prove It’s Sincere On Regulation
If Facebook is truly in favour of stronger social media rules, it should revisit its appeal of last year's £500,000 fine over the Cambridge Analytica leak, says information commissioner
Facebook’s Call For Regulation Meets With Scepticism
As political pressure mounts, Mark Zuckerberg calls for a common regulatory framework covering issues such as harmful content, misinformation and privacy
Russia Threatens VPN Clampdown
Russian regulator gives one month notice, effectively ordering VPNs to block banned websites and messaging services
Study Of Pre-Installed Android Software Finds Privacy ‘Wild West’
Pre-installed apps collect a wide range of information and send it to remote servers with little oversight or control, finds independent research
Criminal Investigation Into Facebook Data Sharing – Report
It never rains but pours. US federal prosecutors launch investigation of Facebook's data sharing deals
Zuckerberg Announces ‘Privacy-Focused’ Future For Facebook
Facebook chief says the company is building a 'privacy-focused platform', as it prepares to integrate WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Instagram
Zuckerberg Meets With UK Culture Secretary
The 30-minute meeting at Facebook's California headquarters follows 18 months of demands for Zuckerberg to appear before Parliament
Amazon Urges ‘Transparency’ In Law Enforcement Use Of Face Recognition
Amazon's AWS and others face a backlash against the use of AI-powered face identification tools, with privacy groups saying they breach citizens' rights
Apple Faces FaceTime Security Questions As It Releases Bug Fix
The US House of Representatives queries Apple over its initial delay in addressing the flaw, which allows users to listen in on other iOS devices' microphones
Facebook To Appeal German Privacy Ruling
The social media giant denies competition officials have standing to pass judgement over it – in spite of a German market share estimated at 95 percent
Apple Rushes To Block iPhone Eavesdropping Bug
The flaw allows FaceTime callers to listen in on recipients' devices, whether the call is accepted or not
Google Accused Of Using Sensitive Data To Target Online Ads
The technical standards behind real-time bidding routinely disclose sensitive information about users' health, ethnicity, finances and other areas, says a GDPR complaint
US Police Cannot Force Suspects To Unlock Devices
Suspects cannot be forced to biometric unlock their devices as it breaks self-incrimination laws, US judge rules
Germany May Order Facebook To Halt Some Data Collection
Germany's Federal Cartel Office is reportedly taking aim at Facebook's collection of user data from third-party sources
European Court Opinion Sides With Google ‘Right To Be Forgotten’ Limits
In a preliminary opinion, the court finds that delisted search results only need to be made inaccessible for users within Europe
Facebook Defends Sharing User Data With ‘Partners’
Did you consent? Social network shared people's data with Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Spotify etc
Police Trialling Face Recognition In Central London This Week
Police said officers would only scan people's faces by invitation, but activists say the tech turns people into 'walking ID cards'
Google Shifts European Data Seat To Dublin
Google has officially designated its Irish subsidiary as being legally responsible for users' data under the GDPR, as impact of new regulations continues to make itself felt
Australia Passes Controversial Encryption Law
The day online privacy died, as Australia passes law to give police, security services access to encrypted messages
Biggest NHS GP IT Supplier To Shift 40m Patient Records To Amazon Cloud
Emis Group, used by six in 10 GPs, plans to shift the back-end of its dominant web software to UK-based AWS servers
Parliament May Release Seized Facebook Documents Next Week
MP Damian Collins said the internal documents are to be released once they have been stripped of personal information, amidst an ongoing row between Facebook and Parliament
Google Faces Multiple GDPR Complaints Over Location Tracking
I spy with my little eye? Seven European consumer groups file GDPR complaints against Google's location tracking
Facebook Documents Seized By British Parliament
Playing hardball. MPs use rare parliamentary powers to seize documents after Zuckerberg refuses to testify
Facebook Appeals Cambridge Analytica Fine
Firm claims £500,000 fine is unjustified, as it disputes UK regulator fine over data breach
Facebook Accused Of Using Smear Tactics To Distract Critics
Amidst growing pressure over data scandals and political misinformation, Facebook allegedly hired a PR firm to encourage attacks on rivals
Google To Take Over Controversial NHS App
The search and advertising giant is accused of 'trust demolition' after announcing that it plans to take direct control of London-based DeepMind Health