U.S. Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks announced he will step down from his position at the agency more than two years before his term was set to end, MediaPost reports. Starks, who was nominated to the agency by President Donald Trump in 2018, previously opposed the executive efforts in 2020 to regulate social media platforms over censorship practices.Full story
The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner called on government entities to tighten agency-level information governance rules around messaging apps use after finding only half the agencies had rules around them in a work context.
The Netherlands Parliament approved motions calling on the government to create a cloud services platform and other actions meant to establish independence from U.S. software companies, Reuters reports. The moves were framed as a way to create more control over the Netherlands' data and free the country from outside political influence.Full story
Poland's data protection authority, the Urząd Ochrony Danych Osobowych, fined state postal administration Poczta Polska PLN27 million and the Minister of Digital Affairs PLN100,000 for allegedly processing millions of citizens' data without a legal basis. The Poczta Polska had been granted permission to access a database of voters in 2020 to help facilitate mail-in voting for the presidential election.Full story
Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Public Services Agency will distribute 40 biometric data capture devices to accelerate digital identification efforts and streamline the application process, IPN reports. The implementation of the devices aims to "significantly reduce the processing time of documents and facilitate access to essential public services."Full story
Software company Rippling filed a complaint claiming global payroll-compliance manager Keith O’Brien allegedly shared consumer and employee data with its competitor, The Wall Street Journal reports. Rippling claimed O'Brien sent employees' personal information to its competitor Deel for recruitment purposes without consent. Full story
The European Commission proposed a six-month extension to the renewal deadline for the adequacy agreements between the EU and the U.K. The deadline shift from June to December would allow the U.K. more time to finalize data reforms under the proposed Data (Use and Access) Bill and provide the EU ample time to review new legislation for adequacy. IAPP Editorial Director Jedidiah Bracy provides the details.Full story
With 94% of digital marketers realizing customers will not buy from their companies if their personal data is not protected, InfoSum CEO Lauren Wetzel writes in an op-ed, that "those who can build marketing processes around privacy in an effective and future-proof way will be in the best position to succeed." Wetzel discusses how data privacy must be featured in the product marketing process due to increased consumer awareness and complex regulatory requirements.Full story
Norway's data protection authority, Datatilsynet, will issue a voluntary survey to all registered data protection officers to better understand their daily work and companies' compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. Datatilsynet Data Protection Officer Coordinator Ove Skåra urged participation so the agency can "get a good knowledge base about what it is like to be" a DPO.Full story
France's data protection authority, the Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés, and competition authority, the Autorité de la concurrence, completed their examination of how privacy and competition work together. The review concluded with 15 proposals on how the two agencies could work together on intersecting priorities.Full story