Page 3 - Data Privacy

Social media platforms worry new data law could affect child safety, ads

Tech giants Google, Meta, YouTube, and Snap are concerned over India's new Digital Personal Data Protection Act's restrictions on behavioural tracking of children as they may compromise child safety

Health ministry suspends compulsory linking of CGHS and ABHA ID's

Experts suggest data privacy concerns, lack of tech infra may have led to decision

DPDP rules should be released soon to ensure a smooth compliance: Experts

Draft of Digital Personal Data Protection rules are in an advanced stage, and industry consultation will start soon, said Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Electronics and I-T, Railways, and I&B

Amazon Alexa, Google Home top privacy risks in smart home devices: Study

A study by Surfshark's research hub revealed that one in 10 smart home apps collects user data for tracking purposes

DPDP rules, IT rules amendment on Meity's 100-day agenda after LS polls

The notification of the rules to India's data privacy law have been long awaited

Govt launches Chakshu to report fraud calls, phone number leaks by firms

Government on Monday unveiled the Chakshu portal under the umbrella of Sanchar Sathi to enable subscribers to report suspected fraud calls, messages like lottery offer, job offers and even suspected leak of phone numbers by businesses. Union IT and Communications Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that through digital measures to check fraud and crime, the Department of Telecom Services has been able to help citizens save around Rs 1000 crore in the last nine months and Rs 1008 crore has been frozen in various bank accounts that were linked to fraudulent transactions. "Chakshu is about reporting something which people suspect is fraud," Vaishnaw said. When asked about the process put in place on mobile numbers that are leaked by businesses, the minister said that subscribers can report about the number of leaks on the Chakshu portal and action will be taken against the culprit. The minister said that 1 crore mobile numbers have been disconnected in the last nine months that were linked

Meta Platforms targeted in privacy complaints by 8 EU consumer groups

The consumer bodies said Meta is not complying with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) rules on fair processing, data minimisation and purpose limitation

Does govt-backed DigiYatra store passengers' personal data? Centre explains

Digi Yatra uses facial recognition technology for entry and security clearance at various airports in India. The air travel online platform is voluntary

India embraces data privacy with DPDP Act, experts await detailed rules

Amid rising cyber threats, DPDP Act marks a pivotal step in data privacy management, with stakeholders eager for comprehensive guidelines

Companies cautious about GenAI over data privacy, security: Report

92% companies in India recognise customers want adequate protection of their data: Cisco survey

Digi Yatra voluntary, data can be collected only after consent: Scindia

Digi Yatra is purely voluntary for air passengers and personnel at airports have been directed to collect data for the application only with the consent of passengers, according to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. There have been complaints that biometric data for Digi Yatra were being gathered from passengers without their consent and the issue was flagged to the minister by Rajya Sabha member Saket Gokhale. Digi Yatra, which provides for contactless, seamless movement of passengers at various check points at airports based on Facial Recognition Technology (FRT), is currently available at a minimum 13 airports for domestic passengers. In response to the member, Scindia has said that the issue was examined and "airport operators have been advised to sensitise Digi buddies on consent taking process and keeping use of Digi Yatra completely voluntary". To support passengers with the use of Digi Yatra, services of individuals called Digi buddies have been made available at

Personal information of 750 mn Indians up for sale on dark web: CloudSEK

The dataset allegedly encompasses around 85 per cent of the Indian population, making it one of the largest breaches of its kind

95% of Indian parents concerned about screen addiction of children: Survey

An overwhelming 95% of Indian parents are deeply concerned about screen addiction, while 80% and 70% expressed worries regarding gaming addiction and adult content consumption

Meta enables 'Link history' on Facebook: What it is and how-to disable it

While adding to convenience since the link history feature stores users' browsing history for 30 days, it raises concerns over Meta's disclosure that it may use the information to improve ads

RBI pulls up credit information bureaus on rising customer complaints

The CICs shared their feedback and highlighted the initiatives that are being taken in collaborating with the credit institutions (CIs) for enhancing data quality

Google plans to phase out use of third-party cookies for users in 2024

The search giant is set to roll out the feature, called Tracking Protection, on Jan. 4 to 1% of Chrome users globally, that will restrict cross-site tracking by default

Google to bring Samsung Secure Folder-like 'Private Space' with Android 15

The built-in Private Space on Android smartphones is expected to debut with Android 15 next year

Apps that use AI to undress women in photos gaining popularity: Report

These apps are part of a worrying trend of non-consensual pornography being developed and distributed because of advances in artificial intelligence - a type of fabricated media known as deepfake porn

RBI to establish cloud facility for financial sector to secure data privacy

Focusing on digital banking, the RBI announced a regulatory framework for web-aggregation of loan products and proposed the establishment of a fintech repository by April 2024

Meta makes end-to-end encryption default on Facebook, Messenger platforms

Meta is rolling out end-to-end encryption for calls and messages across its Facebook and Messenger platforms, the company announced Thursday. Such encryption means that no one other than the sender and the recipient not even Meta can decipher people's messages. Encrypted chats, first introduced as an optional feature in Messenger in 2016, will now be the standard for all users going forward, according to Messenger head Loredana Crisan. This has taken years to deliver because we've taken our time to get this right, Crisan wrote in a blog post. Our engineers, cryptographers, designers, policy experts and product managers have worked tirelessly to rebuild Messenger features from the ground up. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised, back in 2019, to bring end-to-end encryption to its platforms after the social media company suffered a string of high profile scandals, notably when Cambridge Analytica accessed user data on Facebook. Privacy advocates again shined a spotlight on Meta after