Page 5 - Data Privacy

Fintech firms rush to make tweaks as new data protection law looms

Fintechs, banks and non-bank financial companies (NBFCs) will have to redraw their contracts with their business partners with whom customer data gets shared

TikTok is hit with $368 mn fine under Europe's data privacy rules

European regulators slapped TikTok with a USD 368 million fine on Friday for failing to protect children's privacy, the first time that the popular short video-sharing app has been punished for breaching Europe's strict data privacy rules. Ireland's Data Protection Commission, the lead privacy regulator for Big Tech companies whose European headquarters are largely in Dublin, said it was fining TikTok 345 million euros and reprimanding the platform for the violations dating to the second half of 2020. The investigation found that the sign-up process for teen users resulted in settings that made their accounts public by default, allowing anyone to view and comment on their videos. Those default settings also posed a risk to children under 13 who gained access to the platform even though they're not allowed. Also, a family pairing" feature designed for parents to manage settings wasn't strict enough, allowing adults to turn on direct messaging for users aged 16 and 17 without their ..

'Data Act will make digital companies handle info under legal obligation'

Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday said the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act) passed by Parliament recently will make digital companies handle the data of Indian citizens under absolute legal obligation. Calling the law an important milestone in the cyber law framework, Chandrasekhar said there will be punitive consequences of high penalty and even blocking them from operating in India. "The Digital Personal Data Protection Act that was passed by Parliament a few days ago is a very important milestone in the global standard cyber law framework that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to build for the India Techade' (a decade of technology) for a trillion dollar digital economy," the union minister told PTI. The DPDP Bill is aimed at giving Indian citizens a right to have his or her data protected and casts obligations on all companies, all platforms be it foreign or Indian, small or big, to ensure that th

Data Protection Bill: Experts warn of risks in verifying IDs for apps

If a child uses 40 apps on the phone and each of these apps has a copy of the child's Aadhar card along with their parents, then it would be a big issue, an industry expert said

Legal experts divided on citizen privacy, other provisions in Data Bill

As the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill stands passed by Parliament on Wednesday, legal experts are divided on aspects of privacy awarded to Indian citizens and its wider implications for the IT industry. Rajya Sabha Member and lawyer Sirgapoor Niranjan Reddy said the Bill is in an easy language and illustrations provided by the government are very useful. He, however, pointed out that exemptions for startups "may have to be conditioned", as that can be misused, especially in the case of data mining startups. The government on August 3 tabled the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill (DPDP) 2023 in the Lok Sabha with an aim to protect the privacy of Indian citizens. Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas and Co-Partner Hemant Krishna feels the implementation of the DPDP will give control to citizens and businesses over collecting and processing data. "With the strides made by AI, personal data can be processed with unprecedented velocity and sophistication. Ironically, despite the volum

Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023 clears Lok Sabha test

The Bill prescribes penalties of up to Rs 250 crore for each instance of a data breach arising from a lack of reasonable safeguards on platforms

Privacy experts raise concerns over increased govt control in Data Bill

ITI Council, the global industry body with several big tech firms, has welcomed the bill

Apps, firms could lose 'continuous consent' in data protection bill

The move will discard the concept of 'continuous consent' where apps and services get permission to process data from the users when they initially sign up for the service

Twitter asks court to end US FTC order over its data privacy practices

Twitter in the filing said the FTC has "pummeled" the company with "burdensome letters and requests for depositions," issuing demands for information as frequently as one letter every other week

TikTok CEO asked to explain statements about how company manages US data

Two U.S. senators are asking TikTok to explain what they called misleading or inaccurate responses about how it stores and provides access to U.S. user data after recent news reports raised questions about how the Chinese-owned social media platform handles some sensitive information. In a letter sent Tuesday to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn cited a report from Forbes that said TikTok had stored financial information of U.S. content creators who get paid by the company including their Social Security numbers and tax IDs - on China-based servers. The senators also cited another report from The New York Times, published in late May, that said TikTok employees regularly shared user information, such as driver's licenses information of some American users, on an internal messaging app called Lark that employees from TikTok's Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, could easily access. Forbes first reported Wednesday on the letter. TikTok

ChatGPT records everything you type; here is a privacy-focused alternative

There is an alternative for users who have concerns about divulging their personal information to an AI chatbot: PrivateGPT

Apple launches health data privacy campaign globally, including in India

To underscore the significance of health data privacy, a comedic ad tells the story of people whose health data is shared without their consent by a third party voiced by Lynch

Montana becomes first US state to ban TikTok, to face legal challenges

Under the legislation, TikTok and app stores, like those operated by Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google, could face fines of as much as $10,000 for violations

Govt will send notice to WhatsApp over breach: Rajeev Chandrasekhar

'Platforms are responsible for ensuring the safety and trust of those who use them'

Centre to examine WhatsApp's privacy breach over background mic use

Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the Centre would investigate a claim that WhatsApp accessed a user's microphone without his knowledge

'Unacceptable breach and violation of privacy': MoS IT warns Big Tech

Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Wednesday warned Big Tech like Meta-owned WhatsApp over the alleged breach of personal data privacy of users

Google rolling out passkeys for 'passwordless future': All you need to know

Passkeys, according to Google, are a better alternative to passwords and are interoperable with all major devices and browsers

63% of Indian consumers cut back on non-essential spending: PwC report

Nearly half of Indian consumers said rising prices remain the biggest issue when shopping in-store

House panel wants e-pharmacy rules in place asap, MoHFW to act soon

Meanwhile, e-pharmacies say they are open to working with the Ministry and regulators for any alignment required

Google, Meta file lawsuit against South Korean data watchdog's ruling

Google and Meta Platforms have filed a lawsuit against a ruling by the South Korean data protection watchdog to penalise the global tech giants for illegally collecting personal data here