Data

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined transgender charity Mermaids £25,000 for failing to keep the personal data of its users secure.

https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/news-and-events/news-and-blogs/2021/07/ico-fines-transgender-charity-for-data-protection-breach-exposing-sensitive-personal-data/

Data relating to 700 million users of the LinkedIn networking platform has appeared for sale, but the firm says it is the victim of data scraping, not a security breach

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252503281/LinkedIn-denies-exposure-of-700-million-user-records-is-a-data-breach

For now European businesses can continue to send data to the UK without additional safeguards and paperwork. How long will it last?

https://www.computerweekly.com/opinion/UK-data-exchanges-with-EU-can-continue-after-adequacy-decision-but-for-how-long

Former health secretary faces an investigation by the UK’s data protection watchdog over his use of private email to conduct government business

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252503659/ICO-to-probe-Hancock-over-private-email-use

The European Commission has granted the UK data adequacy, allowing data sharing between the EU and the UK, but warns it may yet be revoked

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252503213/EU-recognises-UK-data-protection-adequacy-but-warns-against-divergence

Google’s proposed Privacy Sandbox initiative – which will see third-party cookies phased out in the Chrome web browser – has been pushed back to 2023

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252502988/Google-hands-third-party-cookies-a-stay-of-execution

Information commissioner’s concern over the problematic use of facial recognition in public spaces has prompted her to publish official guidance on its deployment, while civil society calls for an outright ban

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252502671/ICO-issues-guidance-on-facial-recognition-in-public-spaces

EU data protection law provides scope for national regulators to act unilaterally to address concerns they have about the cross-border personal data processing undertaken by multinational businesses, the EU’s highest court has confirmed.

https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/ruling-confirms-possibility-of-parallel-gdpr-investigations

The UK government must launch a national awareness campaign and delay this month’s planned GP data slurp, say privacy consultants Ben Rapp and Sara Newman

https://www.computerweekly.com/opinion/NHS-Digitals-GP-data-scraping-plan-must-be-publicised-and-delayed

A coalition comprising medical organisations, privacy campaigns and a Conservative MP, supported by tech justice specialists Foxglove, is preparing to embark on legal action against the government to force NHS Digital to pause its plans to collate GP data held on 55 million people in England into a single database.

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252501989/Campaigners-plan-legal-action-over-NHS-data-sharing