The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention encouraged health officials to be open about their use of molecular surveillance to track HIV clusters, The New York Times reported. The change was welcomed by groups concerned about the practice's privacy risks, but the CDC did not allow health agencies to opt out in states where transmission is a crime.Full story
The European Commission announced some Apple and Microsoft products will be excluded from the Digital Markets Act, Euractiv reports. Following an evaluation, the Commission determined Apple's iMessage and Microsoft's, Bing, Edge and Microsoft Advertising would not be considered gatekeeper services.Full story
Child exploitation investigations from 2018-2023 found nine cases where children were filmed using hidden cameras purchased from Amazon or eBay, Forbes reports. "Yes, it is abusive to spy on people in your house without their knowledge, but depending on how it is done and what jurisdiction you are in, it is not necessarily illegal," Eva Galperin, co-founder of Coalition Against Stalkerware, said.
European Parliament committees approved the proposed Artificial Intelligence Act.
The Wall Street Journal's The Future of Everything podcast discussed the role biometrics could play in everyday life. It delved into where the technology is currently in use and how widespread adoption in areas like the workplace and airports could provide benefits, but also how its use in public spaces raises privacy concerns.Full story
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Rules is expected to address a proposed bill to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act 14 Feb., ahead of a possible floor vote scheduled at the end of the week, Politico reports.
Employers are using surveillance technology and artificial intelligence to infringe upon workers' rights to privacy, U.S. Federal Trade Commission Division of Privacy and Identity Protection Associate Director Benjamin Wiseman said during a speech at Harvard Law School. He said the use of these technologies also involves the collection of personal data, which is not always properly safeguarded.Full story
The need to maintain comprehensive record of processing activities only "increases with the business' size and complexity of its processing activities," BP Data Privacy Counsel Helga Turku, CIPP/E, writes. Turku recommends building a ROPA that is "user-friendly and easy to maintain." To accomplish this, she said a comprehensive ROPA should include leveraging "existing processes to capture processing activities systematically" and creating "a standard naming convention."Full story
The Czech Republic's data protection authority, Úřad pro ochranu osobních údajů, released methodology for camera systems to ensure personal data is safeguarded. The methodology is in conjunction with the EU General Data Protection Regulation, and intends to "facilitate the position of small personal data managers, especially in cases of common camera systems."Full story
The Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision said about one-third of 1,000 websites checked had cookie banners that did not meet legal standards, Netzpolitik reports. Operators have a chance to fix the errors before they face enforcement actions.