Privacy and security has to be put under the microscope with every new adoption of technology
No. 5: Bringing you the news that matters in video privacy and security
A note from our Editor
Hi all,
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen us use technology more and more in everyday life: from online grocery ordering, virtual coffee mornings and pub quizzes, to mobile payments and remote services, technology has become a welcome saviour of ease and connectivity. So much so that, it seems we would not have survived without it, if we had lived even 50 years ago with the same health crisis. With this in mind, technology seems to have become a positive and invaluable adoption to our lives; however, with such an extensive, rapidly scaled, technological web that connects us all to everyone and everything, comes more opportunity for surveillance: both lawful or not.
As opportunities for connectivity grow, so does the promise of smart cities and their strive towards efficiency and safety. The market for Smart Cities’ tech advancement is growing at a dramatic rate, with investments expecting to match this within the next 5 years. This could be seen as good news for public security, but it also highlights the fact that data privacy policies and legislations are lagging and therefore are struggling to provide necessary governance, particularly as Smart Cities will be capturing more and more data.
However, what do these advances mean for our privacy right now? Can existing legislation still be relevant, and if not, how can they be updated when COVID-19 has opened up concerns that could only be considered "short"-term? On the one hand, the ICO has been handing out hefty fines to big companies; however, recently it has come to light that they dropped a particular complaint. This could point to the pandemic's effect on legislation, where it seems that wider economic issues are being taken into consideration during such a confusing and unforeseeable time. On the other hand, it seems that privacy may be becoming more of a priority, as WhatsApp, one of the biggest messaging services in the world, continues to increase the potential for consumer privacy by adding messages that delete themselves.
Furthermore, controversy swirls surrounding privacy and security in the US, on the one hand, California's new law means data is more protected with regards to third parties' access, but on the other, authorities have officially admitted to using facial recognition technology which could be seen to breach First Amendment rights.
Of course, there are going to be issues within the privacy and security industries, with both companies and individuals taking different stances; however, one thing to take away is that not only is technology moving forward, but, its increased adoption and reliance means that the legislation, the debate, and the control of privacy and security, are continuously challenged to keep up. As a result, it is clear that both privacy and security have to be and are being both prioritised, and put under the microscope with every new adoption of technology.
Emma
News
The ICO is to be taken to Court
The Open Rights Group (ORG) has forced the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) to face legal action after they allegedly closed a complaint discreetly against the AdTech industry and its use of personal data. Although the AdTech industry were found to be in violation of the GDPR, the ICO decided to close the investigation without further action. For this reason, privacy campaigners at ORG, who were the original filers of the AdTech complaint, are taking the ICO to court for its unfair decision.
Smart Cities: Innovating ideas and vast investments
Good news for smart cities as the investments in their technology is expected to increase by 22.7% within the next 5 years. Not only have investments grown sufficiently during COVID-19, but projects such as smart grids, smart lighting, e-governance services and data-enabled public safety and security are expected to gain notable traction post-pandemic. Malabika Mandal, industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan, says smart cities will "prioritise more digitalised services and a strong data analytics infrastructure, leading to increased spending toward technology". The research firm have predicted that there will be more than 26 smart cities globally by 2025, 16 of which in North America and Europe.
Just one way in which smart city technology is changing the landscape of Dublin is through the Smart Dublin's ring buoy monitoring project. Proptech company ZiggyTech is one of four bidders chosen to complete the first phase for this initiative, which aims to help with ring buoy theft across the city; an increasing issue across all 31 local authorities in Ireland. This project is not only adaptable to the pandemic, which has seen more people engaging in swimming sessions, but also is hoped to save hundreds of lives, as the technology identifies when a ring buoy is removed from its station, sending an alert to local first responders immediately.
Accidental Data Breach for leading Swedish Insurer leads to nearly 1 million data records leaked
The Folksam Group, which is one of Sweden's leading insurance providers that insures 50% of Swedish homes and individuals, discovered a monumental breach in their security. Nearly 1 million customers had their sensitive information, including social security numbers and purchases of pregnancy insurance, shared with Big Tech firms such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Adobe. Folksam claim that no third parties have mishandled data thus far, and have requested that all personal information be deleted.
Protestor identified via Twitter due to use of facial recognition technology
A protester in Lafayette Park, US, was identified by facial recognition after an image of him was found on Twitter and they were able to make an arrest. He was said to have physically assaulted an officer but managed to wrestle free, during a protest that was largely peaceful ahead of a photo op by President Trump. This is the first time where the court and authorities have publicly acknowledged the use of the controversial technology, which is said to not only have a database of 1.4 million people and operates entirely away from public view, but also, fourteen local and federal agencies are said to have access. There are increasing concerns surrounding this technology's potential to breach First Amendment rights, and its inaccuracy with regards to identifying ethnic minorities.
WhatsApp releases new tool to help with consumer's privacy
The increasingly popular messaging, voice and video call service, WhatsApp, have stepped up their privacy features for consumers, by creating an update that will allow any new messages, sent from an individual or from a group chat, to "disappear" after seven days.
AI Snippet of the Week
AI developments to help detect mouth cancer
The University of Sheffield and Cancer Research UK are working together to develop machine learning and artificial intelligence that will be able to help predict the risk of mouth cancer. Samples of Oral Epithelial Dysplasia (OED) that are pre-cancerous changes that can be indications of cancer in the long run, along with five years of follow up data will be used to train the AI. Since OEDs can be hard to grade and depend on each person - there is no blanket readings that can take place - Machine learning and AI can help remove subjectivity and ensure accuracy and consistency.
Policy Updates
California's new law: Proposition 24 to hinder Big tech's gathering of data
The State of California has recently passed a new data privacy law, which will restrict third parties' access to personal data, and make it illegal to share or sell personal information with Big Tech firms such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Adobe. Heather Federman, the VP of Privacy and Policy at BigID says that: "The third-party adtech industry will need to evolve ... otherwise, their business models risk becoming obsolete". As a result of the new legislation, Apple is preparing to release a new iPhone update that will mean consumers can opt out of ad trackers; with Chrome, Safari and Firebox following suit.
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