Belgium's Data Protection Authority issued a reprimand to the City of Antwerp after the school district's project to monitor noise pollution allegedly collected sensitive biometric data and violated the EU General Data Protection Regulation.
The National Assembly of Ecuador experienced two cyberattacks aimed at accessing members' sensitive data, The Record reports. The assembly said it was able to "counteract the situation," and is currently working to determine if any information was breached.Full story
New Zealand's Office of the Privacy Commissioner said it will investigate some public agencies' privacy practices after concerns were raised in two reports covering the government's census and COVID-19 data collection, respectively. Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster said, "The Privacy Act is very clear that agencies collecting personal information need to keep it safe and treat it with care.
Spain's data protection authority, the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos, discussed the proper application of privacy-by-design principles for public administration contracts. The AEPD explained how contracts and privacy laws require data protection in these documents both as an ethical and quality standard.Full story
Services for generative AI platform DeepSeek were temporarily suspended in South Korea beginning 15 Feb. until improvements are made to the chatbot to improve compliance with the Personal Information Protection Act, according to the Personal Information Protection Commission. The China-based AI startup previously designated a domestic agent within South Korea and signaled its willingness to cooperate on alleged shortcomings related to how it processed personal data.
The U.K. Data Use and Access Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons 12 Feb. The legislation has since been sent to a House of Commons Public Bill Committee, which will conduct a line-by-line review before preparing a report for the full body prior to 18 March.
Google Chrome began allowing advertisers to deploy digital fingerprinting 16 Feb., Forbes reports. The practice involves collecting information from a device's software or hardware, and when combined, can identify a particular device and user, which U.K.
MediaPost reports on the reintroduction of a California bill to require browsers to offer a universal opt-out option for online behavioral advertising.
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is working to provide the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency with sensitive taxpayer data, The New York Times reports. DOGE software engineer Gavin Kliger reportedly worked at IRS headquarters 13 Feb. and will receive broad access to agency systems as a senior advisor to the acting agency commissioner. IRS systems include details on individuals' tax returns, Social Security numbers, addresses, banking details and employment information.
The Netherlands' data protection authority, the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, conducted a study of several companion and therapeutic AI apps to understand their associated risks. The report found the apps are often not transparent about being AI, do not give useful responses in crises and include addictive elements to keep people using.Full story