#SypherPrivacyTalks - August 2023 - Week 32
by Sypher - August 09, 2023
Welcome to #SypherPrivacyTalks — Your news and article roundup. Bringing you the top privacy & compliance stories of the week.
Zoom quietly changes policy to allow AI models to be trained on user data
😶 Zoom has quietly made changes to its Terms of Service, allowing AI models to be trained on user data. 👇
According to the updated policy, Zoom now holds exclusive rights to "Service Generated Data" (SGD), which includes telemetry data, diagnostic information, and product usage data collected while using their software or services. This gives Zoom the authority to process, modify, and use this data for various purposes in accordance with the law.
☝️ While Zoom has clarified that audio, video, and chat content won't be used for AI model training without user consent, the updated terms grant Zoom a wide range of actions related to customer content, including redistributing, accessing, modifying, and even creating derivative works.
Zoom's pivot towards AI technology has been evident, with plans to introduce features like meeting summaries and enhanced intelligent recording. Their recent launch of Zoom IQ, a generative AI assistant, reflects their commitment to harnessing AI's potential for better collaboration and productivity… read more
Lessons learned from GDPR fines in 2023
📈 Rising fines = growing urgency. In 2023, GDPR fines have already surpassed the cumulative total of the previous years, reaching over €1.6 billion. 👇
To avoid falling into the non-compliance trap, organisations should prioritise:
✅ Obtaining clear user consent,
✅ Ensuring secure data transfers,
✅ Safeguarding children's data.
In this growingly vigilant era of data protection, proactive measures are imperative to protect and manage user privacy, build trust, and mitigate legal and reputational risks associated with GDPR violations… read more
Meta says it will offer Europeans a free choice to deny tracking
🎯 By giving European users the choice to deny behavioural advertising, Meta is aligning with consent-based legal foundations for targeted advertising. 👇
Key highlights from the announcement include:
✅ Meta’s “intention” to switch to consent-based targeted advertising 📜
✅ A vague timeline referencing “the months ahead” 📅
✅ Possible implications for Meta's business model, including the ability to still run "personalised" ad campaigns 📊
✅ Long-awaited enforcement of privacy rights in the EU, marking a potential end to forced commercial mass surveillance 💼
It took over five years for privacy campaigners and EU courts to reach this stage. While the journey has been challenging, this decision suggests that the era of untouchable platform giants and their perceived immunity to the law might be coming to an end… read more
TikTok to face European privacy fine by September
🔥 Yet again, TikTok, the sensation that's taken the world by storm, is facing the heat from European data privacy regulators. 👇
According to insiders in the know, a privacy fine is headed TikTok's way as early as September. What's the buzz all about, you ask? Well, Europe's vigilant data protection crusaders, the #EDPB, have worked through their differences and are gunning for TikTok's handling of young users' data. With over 125 million users in the EU, this is a spotlight no one can escape.
🕵️♂️The precise size and nitty-gritty details of the impending fine are still shrouded in mystery. But the word on the digital street is that TikTok's lead privacy overseer in the EU, the Irish Data Protection Commission, now has a month to unleash the final verdict and whatever actions come with it… read more
Why privacy and trade secret law are on a collision course
💼 The collision between Privacy Law and Trade Secret Law is raising questions that demand attention and innovative solutions. 👇
🧐 Can Privacy Law and Trade Secret Law coexist harmoniously, or are we facing an insurmountable compliance challenge? The emergence of Industry 4.0 has brought forth technologies and insights that are not always protectable by traditional patents. Instead, companies often turn to Trade Secret Law to safeguard their invaluable algorithms, large datasets, and the gems of data analysis.
🔒 Trade secrets, those hidden treasures of confidential information, demand a delicate dance of confidentiality. But here's the twist: the expanding breadth of privacy statutes seeks transparency and disclosure of the very same information!
🤝 How can businesses straddle the line between safeguarding trade secrets and abiding by the increasing scope of data privacy laws? This is where the rubber meets the road. As both Trade Secret Law and Privacy Law continue to evolve and extend their influence, companies are forced to navigate an increasingly dynamic and challenging legal landscape.
🔑 From AI-driven product recommendations reshaping retail experiences to innovative applications revolutionising mental health care, data-driven advancements are pushing boundaries. However, the more we rely on trade secrets to fuel the economy, the more we find ourselves caught between the mandates of Trade Secret Law's confidentiality and Privacy Law's transparency.
🚦 So, how do we strike a balance? How do we respect the right to protect innovation while embracing the necessity of safeguarding consumer privacy? As we journey through these uncharted waters, collaboration between Intellectual Property and Data Privacy departments becomes crucial. Finding innovative paths forward, like considering Nondisclosure Agreements or defining what truly constitutes a trade secret, can be instrumental in resolving this conundrum… read more
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