Online Privacy News and Views
Google in Breach of Dutch Data Protection Law
Following a lengthy investigation, the Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) has published findings that it says Google’s privacy policy is in breach of the Dutch Data Protection Act. Particular consideration was given to changes to the policy in March 2012, which gave Google rights to combine personal data from users of it different services, through cookies and other online identifiers.
New Optanon Cookie Policy Generator
The Optanon Cookie Policy Generator is a brand new platform that takes the pain out of keeping your website cookie policy up to date. At its heart is a new Software-as-a-Service cookie auditor that is fully integrated with our Cookiepedia knowledge base – the web’s largest information resource all about cookies.
Are Data Protection Changes Delayed?
There has been much talk in privacy circles this week about a delay to the schedule for bringing the new EU Data Protection Regulation into force. But what is really going on?
The Cookie Law vs. The DPR
The Cookie Law and the proposed EU Data Protection Regulation (DPR) appear to be contradicting each other. Which one will win out when the DPR comes into force as expected?
Data Protection Regulation Passes Key Milestone
Proposals for a new EU wide Data Protection Regulation took a step closer last night as the package passed a key vote in the European Parliament. The LIBE justice committee voted to approve a text for the regulation following some 20 months of lobbying and negotiation. During that time over 3,000 amendments were submitted – a clear record in EU history, and an indication of how important this legislation will be.
Important New Cookies Guidance Released
The Article 29 Working Party has today issued new guidance on the requirements for websites to be compliant with the cookie law. The body has been looking at the various cookie consent solutions that have been used, so this new guidance is really focussed on the practical aspects of compliance.
The World’s First Do Not Track Law
The state government of California has in the last few days enacted the first law anywhere in the world that recognises the Do Not Track setting now found in most browsers. California law AB370 requires companies that collect data on Californian residents to declare in their privacy policy how they respond to the ‘do not track’ signal sent by some visitors browsers.
Cookie Compliance is Good for Business
A new UK consumer attitudes survey from Truste shows clearly the importance of cookie law compliance, debunking the myth that nobody cares and that everybody would prefer to see the cookie law killed off.
InRealLife
In Real Life is a new documentary looking at the impact of the internet on the lives of teenagers – who have never known a world without always-on web connected devices. Interspersing a selection of stories about online celebrity, porn addiction, cyber-bullying and more, the film also tries to find out what ‘the cloud’ really is – and what is being done with all the data that is being volunteered and collected by large companies every day. There are interviews with such luminaries as Julian Assange, Jimmy Wales and Nicholas Negroponte (who tells us he remembers a time when he literally knew everybody using the internet, in its infancy) – who talk about surveillance, loss of privacy and the enormous social changes that the web has brought about.
Who is Tracking You? – INFOGRAPHIC
We have been busy crunching more cookie data over on Cookiepedia and the result is a new infographic, designed to give some insight into the world of tracking and cookie-based profiling.
