At the IAPP Canadian Privacy Symposium 2023 Thursday, Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne announced his office would partner with multiple provincial data protection authorities to investigate generative artificial intelligence developer OpenAI. The joint inquiry expands the Office of the Privacy Commissioner's solo investigation launched in April. Dufresne also touched on major priorities the OPC will address during his term as privacy commissioner, as well as his personal "pillars" for privacy's role in Canadian society.
Reuters reports European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton indicated the European Commission is working with Google on an artificial intelligence standards agreement in the leadup to potential passage of the EU's proposed AI Act. Breton said the pact would aim to get EU and non-EU AI developers to adopt common governance practices and principles on "a voluntary basis ahead of the legal deadline" for the AI Act.
The New York Times reports it obtained company documents showing TikTok employees posted user information on an internal messaging platform called Lark. According to the documents, driver's licenses and other content, including child sexual abuse materials, were accessible on Lark.
The European Data Protection Board elected Finland Data Protection Ombudsman Anu Talus as the board's next chairperson. Board members voted 19-8 to have Talus succeed Andrea Jelinek. Talus' five-year term as chair begins immediately.
Data use and transfer restrictions within China's Personal Information Protection Law are negatively impacting international collaboration among researchers, Nature reports. "The signal has been very clear that China does not want its scientists to collaborate as freely as they used to with foreigners," said University of Kent sociologist Joy Zhang. Full Story
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care's parent organization Point32Health said a cyberattack that began in March exposed patient and provider personal information, CBS News reports. Information accessed from 28 March to 3 April included personally identifiable information. Harvard Pilgrim said it is "taking steps to implement additional data security enhancements and safeguards to better protect against similar events in the future."Full Story
France's data protection authority, the Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés, published its 2022 annual report. Among the highlights, the CNIL said for the first time since the EU General Data Protection Regulation entered into force, it handled more complaints — 13,160 — than it received — 12,193. The CNIL said the response is the result of a portal that enables users to "follow their file, simplify and secure exchanges."Full Story
Five years after the EU General Data Protection Regulation entered into force, privacy professionals are experiencing the legislation in a new era, with more consequential enforcement, court rulings and privacy-related legislative initiatives. It's also applicable to new technologies, and dozens of countries beyond the EU have taken inspiration from the legislation for their own laws. An infographic published in the IAPP Resource Center highlights the GDPR's influence and impact. Full Story
U.S. President Joe Biden announced additional initiatives exploring potential impacts and risk mitigation related to artificial intelligence technologies.