ABC's of Privacy This Week - Dec 04, 2019

Welcome to our weekly privacy newsletter to read the latest privacy-related news from across the globe. We classify our weekly privacy newsletter into three parts namely Applause, Breaches and Current News (ABC's) of Privacy news. For any feedback on our weekly newsletter, please feel free to send your comments to social@oneDPO.com.

Applause

Data Privacy Startup Raises $11 Million in Funding 

Reston based privacy startup Active Navigation has closed on a $11 million Series A funding round led by venture capital firm Mobeus. The company helps its customers control their sensitive data while staying compliant with data privacy regulations including the GDPR and the CCPA. Active Navigation plans to use this Series A funding to accelerate development of its SaaS-based products and expand operations across USA. 

To know more: https://technical.ly/dc/2019/11/26/active-navigation-reston-data-privacy-startup-11-million-series-a-funding-round/ 

Breaches

Mixcloud Data Breach Exposes Over 20 Million User Records

U.K based audio streaming platform Mixcloud has reported a data breach which has left more than 20 million user accounts exposed after the data was put on sale on the dark web. The exposed data contained usernames, passwords, email addresses, country from which the user signed up, their IP address and links to profile photos. 

To know more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/leemathews/2019/11/29/breach-of-popular-audio-streaming-site-exposes-20-million-accounts/ 

Current News

China Brings in Mandatory Facial Recognition for Mobile Phone Users 

All mobile phone users in China registering new SIM cards must submit facial recognition scans, according to a new rule that went into effect across the country. Already, mobile phone users are required to register SIM cards with their identity cards or passports and many telecoms had begun scanning customers' faces since last year. This move has begun raising concerns about information security and consent. Experts also caution that China lacks regulation on how facial recognition can be used. 

To know more: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/02/tech/china-facial-recognition-mobile-intl-hnk-scli/index.html 

CNIL Levies 500k Euros Fine on Futura Internationale for GDPR Violations 

French Data Protection Authority CNIL has announced that it had levied a fine of '500,000 on Futura Internationale for various infringements of the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The CNIL received a complaint from an individual who kept receiving direct marketing voice-to-voice calls on behalf of Futura Internationale, despite the fact that the individual exercised their right to object to the processing of their telephone number for such purpose. In addition to the violations, the CNIL asked Futura Internationale to adopt the proper measures to comply with the GDPR. 

To know more: https://iapp.org/news/a/cnil-levies-500k-euro-fine-for-gdpr-violations/ 

Twitter Updates Plan to Delete Inactive User Accounts

Twitter has backed off a plan to purge inactive accounts after a backlash from people pointing out that it would cull most dead people's tweet archives. Twitter says account removal will focus on implementing the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Although Facebook offers a way for user accounts to be memorialized after the account owner has died, Twitter has yet to offer such a function. 

To know more: https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/27/20986084/twitter-inactive-accounts-usernames-memorialize-deceased-users-not-removing 

DHS Plans to Expand Facial Recognition Scans to US Citizens

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is proposing all travelers, including citizens, undergo a facial-recognition check before they can enter or leave the country. This large-scale deployment of this powerful surveillance technology raises profound privacy concerns among the citizens. 

To know more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/02/homeland-security-face-recognition-airport-citizens/