Data is the name of the game
No. 40: Bringing you the news that matters in video privacy and security
A note from our Editor
Hi all,
The volume of personal data being unlocked for analysis is growing exponentially across the world. Whether it's to help design or automatically generate personalised customer experiences, to create public statistics, tracking down criminals or even to train new technologies; this vast collection of life-stream data has become the default solution - even if only a small percentage of that data is actually needed, and in many cases without the wider risks and legalities of collecting it reviewed in the first place.
The UK Met Police is attempting to collect as much children's data from social media sites, in a bid to "identify offenders and fight serious violence". However, according to youth violence experts, they were not consulted on how to do this safely and ethically. The large scale of this operation is certainly a privacy and security risk, but is it worth allowing such a risk for the safety of children, and instead trying to minimise the risk rather than stop the operation all together?
On the bog tech side Meta has revised their privacy policies to help users understand them more - but admits to not changing their current methods for collecting and harvesting data for their mass targeted advertising efforts. This seems like a step in the right direction by helping consumers have better data transparency, but has their past behaviour around consumer privacy tainted their efforts, especially since their privacy policies are still a 9000 word agreement? In Canada, Tim Hortons has been found to be collecting location data on its users, including when they've visited competing coffee shops. Although we've seen this before - with Burger King suggesting discounted Big whoppers when users were near Mcdonalds - at least the Canadian watchdog is demanding they delete all their collected data, in a bid to protect consumer privacy.
Data - personal, sensitive, location or otherwise - will always require privacy and security considerations. How and why data is collected, and used, responsibly - i.e. without creating short or long-term data privacy risks, whilst still providing business or social value? It seems that moves to specify and better regulate data usage across the world is the critical path - with the US finally making strides in this direction, on a federal level.
As always, please let me know if you have any feedback on this newsletter or want to see any other topics covered.
Emma
News
Met Police is collecting children's personal data from social media sites
As a way to identify offenders and fight serious violence, the Metropolitan police has been collecting children's personal data to carry out profiling on a large scale. However, youth violence experts have said they were not involved in Project Alpha, despite the Met claiming they were consulted.
The Guardian: Met police profiling children ‘on a large scale’, documents show
The Guardian: Met police did not consult us on children’s data project, say youth violence experts
Canadian data watchdog slams Tim Hortons for snooping on customers
Canadian coffee and donut chain, Tim Hortons, has been collecting "vast amounts of location data" from users of their app, including tracking when they visited competing coffee shops.
Verge: Canadian government slams Tim Hortons for using its app to spy on customers
IAPP: Privacy authorities find Tim Hortons app collected ‘continual,’ ‘vast’ location data
Meta rewrites their privacy policies, but claims data will not be collected in 'new ways'
Meta has updated their privacy policy and Terms of Service with examples to "make it easier to understand and to reflect the latest products they offer". Whilst the policy says they won't share data in new ways, the already vast funnel of targeted advertising is "not good for privacy".
The Verge: Meta rewrites privacy policy but says it won’t collect data in ‘new ways’
Tech Crunch: Meta consolidates its privacy policy to appease regulators
ICO calls for an end to excessive digging into rape victims' personal data
The UK's Information Commissioner's Office called for police and prosecutors to end excessive scrapping of rape victims' personal data as they are treated as suspects and it is fuelling distrust in the system.
Reuters: UK's data watchdog calls for end to digital 'strip search' of rape victims
Sky News: Rape victims are being 'treated as suspects', data watchdog says
Autonomous vehicles: 6x safer if trained with 1-in-a-million data
Research was conducted of millions of hours of footage from CCTVs and dashcams that held a variety of traffic conditions along with 1-in-a-million accident scenarios from public stories to train these autonomous vehicles, highlighting a six-fold improvement in the detection of collisions.
Smart Cities World: Autonomous vehicles six times safer if trained using one-in-a-million data
AI Snippet of the Week
AI and satellites could help "feed people, reduce poverty and protect the planet"
Imazon has been exploring ways in which AI can track the rate of deforestation off of roads, which can help play a role in anti-poverty campaigns and protect the environment.
WIRED: Satellites and AI Can Help Solve Big Problems—If Given the Chance
Policy Updates
US Federal Privacy law on the horizon?
A bipartisan bill has been introduced to attempt to end the gridlock in US Congress over the creation of the American Data Privacy and Protection Act - a critical milestone as it would be the first federal data privacy law.
Odia Kagan, Linkedin: Federal Privacy Law incoming? New Bipartisan Bill Filed
Compliance Week: Bipartisan data privacy bill seeks to break through Congressional logjam
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