Privacy
One more social media ban for teenagers is in the making: next is Slovenia
Slovenia is preparing draft legislation that will ban access to social media for minors under 15, Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon told a news conference on Thursday.
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ICE wants to “research” a data-driven market for “investigations activities”
The agency notes that it isn’t seeking collaboration opportunities but rather insights into the advertising industry.
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GenAI use is expanding faster than rules can keep up, experts warn
The Dutch privacy and data protection authority (DPA) is concerned that businesses and organizations are deploying generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) too easily, and hardly consider the consequences for people and society as a whole.
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Swiss telecom and internet providers face mass surveillance
A coalition of international human and digital rights organizations, including Amnesty International and European Digital Rights (EDRi), urges the Swiss Federal Council to amend or abandon proposed changes that would expand mass data retention and user identification obligations for nearly all telecom and internet service providers.
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Spain rides the global wave of teen social media bans
Spain and Greece on Tuesday proposed bans on social media use by teenagers, marking a hardening of attitudes by European nations against technology platforms they say are designed to be addictive and which can expose children to harmful content.
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Greece set to ban social media for under-15s
Greece to soon announce social media ban for children under 15, government source says
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EU privacy authorities skeptical of Brussels AI plan that would allow easier use of personal data
The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) and European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) have their reservations regarding the European Commission’s intentions to simplify existing rules governing artificial intelligence (AI).
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India moves to ban social media for children
An ally of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a bill to ban social media for children, as the world's biggest market for Meta and YouTube joins a global debate on the impact of social media on young people's health and safety.
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Roblox comes under investigation amid child safety concerns
The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) has launched an investigation into Roblox due to the risks that underage users in the European Union may face on the gaming platform.
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Two more countries in Europe plan to ban social media for kids
One is planning to ban social media for under-14-year-olds, and the other for under-15-year-olds.
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US probes claims Meta employees had “unfettered” access to WhatsApp chats
US law enforcement authorities have been investigating allegations that Meta employees had “unfettered” access to WhatsApp messages despite the company claiming the chats are encrypted.
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Redditors ask, Cybernews answers: How can you protect your privacy on Android?
Android promises choice and control, but how much real privacy can you achieve by removing built-in surveillance features? Every week, our team selects one pressing and common reader issue and deconstructs it to help you stay safe online.
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Public transport companies are not allowed to constantly film bus drivers, Dutch DPA says
Systematically monitoring employees in their workplace with surveillance cameras is not permitted. Cameras may only be used when it’s strictly necessary, for example, to record incidents.
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Google settles $68M lawsuit over Assistant secretly recording users
Google has agreed to pay $68 million in a class-action lawsuit to resolve claims that its Google Assistant recorded private conversations without users’ consent.
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Europe finally sees WhatsApp as a Very Large Online Platform, but what does that mean?
The European Commission has formally designated WhatsApp as a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the Digital Services Act (DSA), meaning that Meta’s messaging platform will assume additional responsibilities to tackle illegal and harmful content.
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Privacy nerd reads mobile fine print - wins trip to Switzerland
A self-proclaimed privacy nerd shopping for a new mobile carrier actually read through one company’s privacy policy — and won a free trip to Switzerland to prove it..
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France just one step away from blocking under-15s from social media platforms
France's National Assembly on Monday backed legislation to ban children under 15 years old from social media on Monday, amid growing concerns about online bullying and mental health risks.
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British House of Lords in favor of social media ban for children under 16
The United Kingdom’s House of Lords has greenlit a bill banning social media and virtual private networks (VPNs) for kids under the age of 16.
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Why Redditors “don’t give a f****” about using the same password
Everyone knows reusing passwords is risky, yet most people keep doing it anyway. “Once you reach that state of IDGAF, life is so much better,” some Redditors say.
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French regulator fines company €3.5M over data sharing and tracking cookies
The French data protection and privacy regulator has fined an unnamed company €3.5 million for sharing customer data with a social media platform without consent, allowing users to create weak passwords, using the SHA-256 hashing algorithm, and installing tracking cookies without consent.
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