Tag:international developments

1
US Court signals that proving data breach class actions will be difficult
2
Facebook to release “clear history” tool
3
Cambridge Analytica closes its doors
4
Excel skills of English Council leads to the exposure of “hidden” personal information
5
The death of the passwords?
6
Mark Zuckerberg testifies: what you need to know
7
Mark Zuckerberg to testify to US Congress as Facebook indicates Cambridge Analytica accessed data from up to 87 million accounts
8
Deloitte hack: Big four cyber-security advisor takes a hit
9
Elon Musk Acquires X.com
10
A New Cyber Regulator on the Beat: The CFPB Issues its First Cybersecurity Order and Fine

US Court signals that proving data breach class actions will be difficult

By Andrew C. Glass, David D. Christensen, Cameron Abbott and Matthew N. Lowe

In the US, several attempts at class actions for those affected by a data breach have failed challenges in early procedural stages.  In Dieffenbach v. Barnes & Noble, Inc., 887 F.3d 826 (7th Cir. Apr. 11, 2018), the Seventh Circuit allowed a data breach class action to survive the pleadings stage.  At the same time, the Court indicated that the plaintiffs may have a tough time proving their claims on the merits or establishing that class certification is warranted.  At the end of the day, the Dieffenbach decision may prove to be less of a boon and more of a bust for plaintiffs in data breach class actions.  Although it may provide a means to get into court, the decision makes clear that obtaining a favorable outcome may be a “difficult task.”  For a full summary of the Dieffenbach decision please see our client alert here.

Facebook to release “clear history” tool

By Cameron Abbott and Keely O’Dowd

Facebook collects data on every “like” button you click on a website and the websites you visit that use Facebook pixel code.

At the F8 Conference, Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook will release a new tool that will enable Facebook users to see and delete identifying information that Facebook has collected about them from other websites and apps. This new “clear history” tool will also allow users to turn off having this information stored with their Facebook account.

Read More

Cambridge Analytica closes its doors

By Cameron Abbott and Sarah Goegan

Cambridge Analytica, the data company embroiled in the Facebook privacy scandal, is closing down. The firm’s parent company, SCL Elections, announced that it and some of its affiliates including Cambridge Analytica had commenced insolvency proceedings in the UK, and would immediately cease all operations.

In a statement, Cambridge Analytica said it had been “vilified” and the subject of “numerous unfounded accusations” about its activities, which it says are legal and widely accepted in online advertising. It blamed negative media coverage of allegations the company improperly used the data of 87 million Facebook users (which you can read about here, here and here) for a mass exodus of clients.

Read More

Excel skills of English Council leads to the exposure of “hidden” personal information

By Cameron Abbott and Keely O’Dowd

The Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council (Council) was recently fined £120,000 (approximately AUD$217,920) by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for the unauthorised processing of personal data belonging to 943 people who owned vacant properties in the Borough.

Read More

The death of the passwords?

By Cameron Abbott and Allison Wallace

While the recent Facebook saga has underlined the fact that using a password to protect your data doesn’t mean it won’t be improperly accessed, we have become used to needing to create, remember and use passwords in most aspects of our digital lives.

But the humble letter/number/symbol combination may soon be a thing of the past, with a new web standard – the Web Authentication (WebAuthn) – expected to be issued soon.

Read More

Mark Zuckerberg testifies: what you need to know

By Cameron Abbott and Sarah Goegan

Mark Zuckerberg testified before the US Congress in two marathon sessions this week. He was quizzed on topics including Cambridge Analytica and data sharing, privacy law and social media regulation, and Facebook’s policies.

Read More

Mark Zuckerberg to testify to US Congress as Facebook indicates Cambridge Analytica accessed data from up to 87 million accounts

By Warwick Andersen, Rob Pulham, Allison Wallace and Sarah Goegan

Facebook indicated in a blog post yesterday that information of up to 87 million people – 37 million more than originally revealed – may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica.

Facebook also reported that this may have included data of more than 300,000 Australians. The company’s chief technology officer, Mike Schroepfer, said the company would make major changes to the way third-parties can access data on the platform. He also said users would be informed if their information could have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica.

Read More

Deloitte hack: Big four cyber-security advisor takes a hit

By Cameron Abbott and Olivia Coburn

“Big four” accounting and consulting firm Deloitte revealed on Monday that it was targeted by a hack that exposed its email system and client records.

Although Deloitte has not yet provided details on the full extent of the breach, it confirmed that the information accessed includes confidential emails and plans of some of its blue-chip clients. It also said that “very few” clients were affected.

Read More

Elon Musk Acquires X.com

By Cameron Abbott and Olivia Coburn

Elon Musk has repurchased X.com, a website he created 18 years ago in 1999, although his intentions for the purpose of the domain remain unclear.

X.com was one of the world’s first online banks, insured by FDIC and partnered with Barclays. X.com was initially intended to be full service online financial institution, but could not overcome regulatory challenges. At that time, financial regulatory systems were not equipped to deal with the products that X.com was offering, which included online savings accounts, brokerage services and insurance products.

Read More

A New Cyber Regulator on the Beat: The CFPB Issues its First Cybersecurity Order and Fine

By Ted Kornobis

On March 2, 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) instituted its first data security enforcement action, in the form of a consent order against online payment platform Dwolla, Inc.

The CFPB joins several other regulators that have recently issued statements or instituted enforcement actions in this space, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), Commodities Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the National Futures Association (“NFA”), the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), state attorneys general, and the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), which has been active in this area for several years.

To read more click here.

Copyright © 2024, K&L Gates LLP. All Rights Reserved.