Facebook says Portal was designed with privacy in mind — but that's not necessarily so for the Facebook Messenger infrastructure it's built on
News Privacy
Apple Rolls Out Online Privacy Tool For US Users
The company has revamped its privacy site for users in the US and some other countries as it prepares to extend GDPR controls worldwide
High Court Blocks Mass Lawsuit Over Google iPhone Tracking
Judge calls Google's actions 'wrongful', but finds the Google You Owe Us group failed to prove users suffered damage
Facebook Shows Smart Video Device On Heels Of Privacy Scandal
Facebook is emphasising the built-in privacy features of the Alexa-powered Portal, which arrives immediately after a major data breach at the company
Government Sets £9m Competition For UK Digital Health Projects
New competition looks for tech to solve health issues — including privacy questions around the exploitation of sensitive patient data
FBI Forces Suspect To Unlock iPhone X With Facial Recognition
Feds use the face of a suspect to unlock his Apple iPhone, and thus expose his criminal actions
WhatsApp Founder Admits Selling Out Privacy To Facebook
Co-founder of WhatsApp Brian Acton admits selling out the privacy of WhatsApp users to Facebook
Information Commissioner Issues UK’s First Formal GDPR Notice
Data protection stakes are higher than ever as regulator fines Equifax £500,000 and issues a GDPR notice to firm that worked with Brexit campaigners
Popular Mac App Store Utilities Caught Siphoning User Data
Top-ranking utilities on the App Store were found to be collecting and transmitting browsing histories and application information
Europe’s Top Court Considers ‘Right To Be Forgotten’ Cases
Google is contesting efforts to extend the right to be forgotten to non-European search domains, as well as tougher measures on the removal of sensitive data
Mozilla To Block Firefox Ad-Tracking By Default
Firefox tightens its ad-tracking block credentials, for better privacy and to improve page loading speeds
DeepMind Diagnostic AI ‘More Accurate’ Than Human Eye Specialists
DeepMind's algorithm outperforms human doctors in initial tests, but questions hang over the use of AI in clinical practice
ICO Fines Emma’s Diary £140,000 Over Campaign Data
The pregnancy advice site illegally sold the personal data of one million people to the Labour Party for use in the 2017 General Election
Apple Defends Privacy Practices To US Lawmakers
Apple insists it is 'radically different' on privacy from the likes of Google and Facebook, but not all are convinced
BBC Demands Microsoft Tell It Who Leaked Dr Who Footage
Good luck with that... Aunty subpoenas Microsoft to demand OneDrive user who shared Dr Who clip
US Congress Queries Apple, Google On Data Collection Practices
Lawmakers dispute Apple's claim of superior data privacy and express concern over developer access to Gmail messages
Third Party Developers Can Read Gmail Emails
Google privacy form gives third party developers the ability to read millions of emails from Gmail users
Data Regulators See Spike In GDPR Complaints
Banks, tech giants and adtech firms are amongst those hit by the new data privacy law
Facebook Lists Firms Granted Special Data Access
A mammoth document provided to Congress is the latest fallout from the Cambridge Analytica scandal
Google, Facebook ‘Deceive’ Users On GDPR Data Choices
The internet giants' new privacy controls don't obtain the explicit, informed consent required by European law, consumer groups claim
HMRC Voice ID Scheme ‘Breaks GDPR’, Claim Campaigners
The voice identification programme has collected more than 5 million citizens' voiceprints to date
Gloucester Police Fined For Disclosing Victim Details In Bulk Email
An officer failed to activate the 'BCC' function in a bulk email, landing the force a £80,000 penalty
ICANN Puts First GDPR Measures Into Place
The GDPR is the 'first time' legislation has forced ICANN to make changes, the internet governance body says
Facebook To Require Labels For Targeted Ads
Advertisers must now tell users when they've been targeted using information from a third-party data broker
Court Finds Facebook Page Administrator ‘Jointly Responsible’ For Data Protection
The German operator of a fan page on Facebook must take its share of responsibility for the collection of user data
Facebook Denies Claims Mobile Data Sharing Broke Privacy Pledges
Facebook shared users' data with more than 60 mobile device makers without gaining their consent, New York Times claims
University Fined £120,000 Over ‘Serious’ Security Breach
Hackers penetrated an unsecured microsite that had been left online for more than 10 years, stealing sensitive data and posting it online
Parliament Says Facebook Answers Not Good Enough
Facebook reveals it tracked users with more than 10 million social plug-ins on third-party sites
Cambridge Analytica ‘Retained Facebook Data Derivatives’
Defunct company covered up its use of valuable predictive models drawn from Facebook information, claims report
Cambridge Analytica Shuts Down Over Data Scandal Fallout
The consultancy said negative publicity has made it impossible to continue doing business