From the Federal Trade Commision (FTC): A new Federal Trade Commission staff report that examines the data collection and use practices of major social media and video streaming services shows they engaged in vast surveillance of consumers in order to monetize their personal information while failing to adequately protect users online, especially children and teens….
Uber will now verify riders as a safety measure for drivers
Andrew J. Hawkins reports: Uber announced a new rider verification feature aimed at giving drivers and couriers more peace of mind about their customers. The rideshare company has tried to fight fraud and improve safety on its platform through a variety of methods, including safety check-ins, PIN verification, and audio recordings of rides. But to date, most of…
‘Significant’ Risks As Facial Recognition In Russia’s Subways Goes Regional
Andrei Grigoryev reports: In a move that human rights advocates warn carries potential risks for civil rights, Russia has begun expanding its facial-recognition payment system for subways to six cities outside of Moscow. Kazan, seat of the Volga River region of Tatarstan, and one subway station in Nizhny Novgorod, another major Volga city, started using…
Council of Europe: New guidelines to protect voters’ personal data
September 18 – The Council of Europe has issued guidelines aimed at protecting individuals’ personal data when registering as voters and when their identity needs to be authenticated to participate in elections. The guidelines, prepared by the Consultative Committee of the Convention for the Protection of Individuals with Regard to Automatic Processing of Personal Data (“Convention 108”), contain advice…