TheNewsGuru

Tag: Data Privacy

  • New CBN policy raises data privacy concerns

    New CBN policy raises data privacy concerns

    The Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) says it engaging the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on its new directives to commercial banks to collect their customers’ social media handles.

    The National Commissioner of NDPC, Dr Vincent Olatunji, said this in a statement issued by Mr Itunu Dosekun, Head of Media, on Thursday in Abuja.

    Recall that the CBN on June 26, directed banks to obtain the social media handles of customers as part of enhanced Customer Due Diligence (CDD) regulations.

    Olatunji said that before the establishment of the Nigerian Data Protection Act (NDPA), on June 12, indiscriminate collection of citizens’ data by Data Controller Organisations was not taken seriously.

    He explained that there were prerequisite steps any Data Controller must take prior to the collection of data from data subjects.

    He also said that any organisation that defaulted was going against the law and causing a data breach, as well as would attract fine.

    “There are provisions in the law to go against any data controller be it private or government office, NGOs, hotels, because we are pro-citizens.

    “The whole idea of this law is to protect the rights, the interests of Nigerians who are data subjects.

    “We are already engaging with the CBN to let them know that what they have done is against the law because there are basic principles you must meet when you want to collect citizens’ data.

    “There is data minimisation, meaning you don’t collect data beyond the purpose for which it was intended, purpose limitation, what purpose is it for,’’ he explained.

    According to him, asking for social media handles is not necessary.

    He, however, said that if the collection of the social media handles happened under public interest, which could include to monitor some transactions, there should be proper awareness to the customers.

    Olatunji added that they would be inquiring on why the CDD regulation came up and how best to resolve that in line with global best practices.

    On the issue of government tapping into some citizens’ mobile communications, perhaps for national security, among other reasons, Olatunji said that there were guidelines to follow.

    He said the commission would be engaging with a lot of government institutions, data controllers, to sensitise them on the requirements of the NDPA and data collection prerequisites.

  • Popular video app, TikTok faces scrutiny over users privacy concerns

    Popular video app, TikTok faces scrutiny over users privacy concerns

    The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) said it would set up a task force to assess TikTok’s activities over possible breach of users privacy.

    This is coming after an EU lawmaker made a request concerning TikTok’s data collection methods, security and privacy risks.

    TikTok, owned by a Chinese firm known as ByteDance, allows users to create short-form mobile videos, and share.

    The popularity of the Chinese video app soared during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, sparking a data privacy crisis, and other concerns.

    At some points, TikTok was accused of promoting rape, domestic violence, vulgarity and other social vices, resulting in #BanTikTok and #TikTokDown uproar on social media, recently.

    In response to MEP Körner’s request regarding TikTok, the EDPB announced its decision to establish the task force to coordinate potential actions and to acquire a more comprehensive overview of TikTok’s processing and practices.

    The EU privacy watchdog said indicated as well that it has already issued guidelines and recommendations that should be taken into account by all data controllers whose processing is subject to the GDPR.

    The EDPB this is particular when it comes to the transfer of personal data to third countries, and when it comes to the processing of minors’ data.

  • Data protection: NITDA extends deadline for initial data audit report filing

    Data protection: NITDA extends deadline for initial data audit report filing

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has granted a three-month extension period that will elapse on Friday 25th October 2019 for the filing of initial audit report for every data controller and processor.
    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Director General/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NITDA and Chief Information Technology Officer of Nigeria made this known in a statement in Abuja.
    This is following a series of consultations held by the agency with various industry and government stakeholders on the implementation of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).
    According to the statement, the overwhelming consensus of all stakeholder groups is that the NDPR is an appropriate regulation that would help provide clarity for data controllers and processors on the rights of data subjects, basis of processing personal data and transfer of data outside Nigeria among others.
    “NITDA is pleased to note that stakeholders including other Sector Regulators, Government, Banks, Industry groups, Private Sector players among many others, have shown tremendous willingness towards compliance with the NDPR.
    “Consequently, Article 4.1(5) of the NDPR requires Data Controllers to submit an initial audit report within six months of issuance of the Regulation (which lapsed on 25th July, 2019).
    “Several Data Controllers have appealed for an extension of time to meet this obligation. Therefore, NITDA is hereby granting a three-month extension for the conduct of the initial audit report for every data Controller and Processor. This extension period would elapse on Friday 25th October 2019.
    “This extension of time for the purpose of audit filing does not limit NITDA’s right to investigate and enforce other allegations of breach made against any Data Controller or Processor pursuant to the NDPR and the NITDA Act 2007,” the statement read.
    TNG reports NITDA is a Federal Government Agency established in 2001 to implement the Nigerian Information Technology Policy as well as coordinate general IT development and regulation in the country.
    Specifically, Section 6(a,c) of the Act mandates the NITDA to create a framework for the planning, research, development, standardization, application, coordination, monitoring, evaluation and regulation of Information Technology practices, activities and systems in Nigeria.
    The Act also mandates the NITDA to develop guidelines for electronic governance and monitor the use of electronic data interchange and other forms of electronic communication transactions as an alternative to paper-based methods in government, commerce, education, the private and public sectors, labour, and other fields.

  • Facebook ‘knowingly’ violated data privacy laws – British lawmakers

    Facebook ‘knowingly’ violated data privacy laws – British lawmakers

    British lawmakers on Monday accused Facebook of “intentionally and knowingly” violating data privacy and anti-competition laws as they called for social media companies to assume clear legal liabilities for content shared on their platforms.

    Facebook, Inc. is an American online social media and social networking service company.

    “Social media companies cannot hide behind the claim of being merely a platform.

    “It cannot maintain that they have no responsibility themselves in regulating the content of their sites,’’ a major report by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee released on Monday.

    The committee, which reviewed a trove of internal Facebook emails, accused the tech giant of being “willing to override its users’ privacy settings in order to transfer data to some app developers.’’

    The lawmakers also accused chief executive Mark Zuckerberg of showing “contempt” of the British parliament by choosing not to appear before the committee nor “respond personally to any of our invitations.”

    The committee called for the establishment of a compulsory code of ethics overseen by an independent regulator to draw a rulebook of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours on social media.

    “The process should establish clear, legal liability for tech companies to act against agreed harmful and illegal content on their platform,’’ the report said.

    The regulator should have the ability to launch legal proceedings “with the prospect of large fines being administered” for non-complying companies.

    The committee also called for electoral law to be changed “to reflect changes in campaigning techniques” and for “absolute transparency of online political campaigning.”

     

  • Japan Govt to tighten regulations against tech firms

    Japan Govt to tighten regulations against tech firms

    Amid concerns about monopoly and users personal data, Japan’s government is planning to set up a new regulatory system to watch over big tech firms such as Facebook and Google.

    According to a presentation made at a government advisory panel on Wednesday, the new regulator will examine competitive practices, the protection of personal data, and make anti-trust recommendations.

    The new body will also draw up new guidelines to evaluate whether mergers and acquisitions will lead to a monopoly on messaging data or personal data.

    The government hopes to finalize the plans for the new regulator by the soon, but it is still uncertain when it will become fully operational.

    At the meeting on Wednesday, bureaucrats gave a presentation to cabinet ministers showing how Facebook, Google, Amazon.com, China’s e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holdings and China’s top search engine Baidu have increased influence by expanding into payment systems, retail shops, self-driving cars, drones, and interconnected devices.

    The growth of the digital economy does have some merits, such as making it easier to reach new customers and generate profits at lower costs, according to the presentation.

    But, it said some big technology companies could abuse their influence with arbitrary search results, high fees, sudden changes to terms of usage, and unfair contracts with suppliers.

     

  • Google laments changes in data privacy would hurt

    Google’s parent company, Alphabet has said changes to data privacy practices could have adverse effect on its business.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Alphabet made this known in its annual report filed on Tuesday.

    The company suggested it is adjusting to increased regulatory scrutiny and evolving consumer attitudes toward data and privacy online.

    “Changes to our data privacy practices, as well as changes to third-party advertising policies or practices may affect the type of ads and/or manner of advertising that we are able to provide which could have an adverse effect on our business.

    “If we do not provide superior value or deliver advertisements efficiently and competitively, our reputation could be affected, we could see a decrease in revenue from advertisers and/or experience other adverse effects to our business,” the company wrote in the filing.

    Due to abuse of users data, regulators have tightened their grip in scrutinizing how tech firms manage users data, and especially Google has faced a number of fines in this regard.

    The Alphabet Tuesday’s filing also warned about software errors.

    “Bugs or defects in our products and services have occurred and may occur in the future, or our security measures could be breached, resulting in the improper use and/or disclosure of user data.

    “Due to these factors and the evolving nature of our business, our historical revenue growth rate and historical operating margin may not be indicative of our future performance,” the company wrote.

     

  • Expert calls for sensitisation on data privacy

    Expert calls for sensitisation on data privacy

    There is an urgent need to sensitise Nigerians on data privacy and security, says John Odumesi, a cyber security expert.

    Speaking during the 2019 Data Privacy Day, Odumesi said that people needed to know how the issue of data privacy affected them.

    January 28 is Data Privacy Day which was set aside to raise awareness and promote privacy and data protection best practices.

    The Cybersecurity Analyst said that the purpose of Data Privacy Day was to raise awareness about the rights to personal data protection and privacy.

    He said that data was becoming more valuable than ever, as people continually share more data on their connected devices, while businesses and government are collecting and using the personal information more than ever before.

    ”Data privacy is basically the necessity to protect personal information collected by any organisation and from unauthorised access. Such data types include: online privacy, medical privacy, financial privacy, among others.

    ”The challenge with data privacy is that most people are not aware enough about data privacy and protection,” Odumesi said in a statement.

    He said that government should review all policies related to surveillance, interception and collection of personal data in line with international human rights standards on privacy protection.

    According to him, there is the need for speedy passage of the personal information and data protection bill as well as the digital rights and freedom bill.

    ”Nigerian organisations should review their current privacy policy and processes in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

    ”The European Union (EU) GDPR regulates how the personal data of EU citizens are collected and processed.

    ”The regulation is relevant to Nigerian business environment. It applies to Nigerian organisations that handle personal data of EU citizens. Non-compliance with the regulation can result to severe fines,” he said.

     

  • Investment firms dump Facebook over data privacy

    Several socially conscious investment firms are selling or rethinking their Facebook Inc holdings, unsatisfied by the company’s moves to strengthen personal data protection.

    They are not comfortable with online safety after scandals involving the improper sharing of users’ information.

    The retreat from the world’s largest social media network is one of the sharpest responses by investors to concerns about Facebook’s handling of user data.

    Cambridge Analytica, a now-defunct political data firm hired by Trump’s 2016 election campaign, has been accused of harvesting data for 87 million Facebook users and is under investigation in the U. S. and Europe.

    Facebook shares fell in the first quarter when the scandal broke, and recovered after founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg testified before U.S. lawmakers in April.

    Although he deflected questions and avoided pledging to support new regulation, doubts were raised about his commitment to fully resolve the issue.[

    “Facebook’s problems, we believe, are founded on a lack of sufficient attention to consumer privacy and data security, compounded by inadequate governance,” wrote Adam Kanzer.

    Kanzer is vice president of Domini Funds, in a May 8 letter to Facebook explaining its plan to sell its 111,000 Facebook shares held in the Domini Impact Equity Fund, he made the comment.

    ”In April Eaton Vance Corp unit Calvert Research and Management also sold Facebook shares on concerns about lax controls.

    That meant “the company clearly violated users’ fundamental right to privacy,” contrary to the firm’s investment principles, according to Emma Doner, one of its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) analysts.

    The divestment by the two well-known firms build on previous concerns by other so-called ESG managers, which consider social responsibility when buying stocks.

    Others may follow. Joe Keefe, president of Pax World Funds, said Facebook’s place in investment vehicles like the Pax ESG Beta Dividend Fund will be reviewed.

    They will be reconsider these with an eye on recent controversies that “may very well affect the company’s scores and its eligibility for continued inclusion in those portfolios.”

    A Facebook spokeswoman declined to comment.

    Zuckerberg controls a majority of Facebook’s voting power, but must face shareholders at its annual meeting on May 31.

    Top proxy advisers have recommended a number of votes contrary to the board’s positions.

    ESG funds represent just a small fraction of Facebook shares, but their moves may influence top investors including BlackRock Inc and Vanguard Group.

    These investors have paid more attention to social issues in recent years. Representatives for both declined to comment.

    Facebook had already faced skepticism from ESG funds which on average had kept the company at a market-neutral weighting of 1.7 per cent.

    According to Morningstar data,the maitainance likely tied to Facebook’s average score from ESG rating service Sustainalytics.

    Martin Kremenstein, senior managing director at Nuveen, said one reason it would be hard for the company’s socially minded funds to own Facebook is because the problems occurred.

    It happened in spite of a settlement the company struck with the Federal Trade Commission in 2011, which included a pledge to improve privacy protections.

    Referring to the latest revelations involving Cambridge Analytica, he said, “This is a bigger scandal than before, but it’s not a new one.”

    Not all ESG managers aim to divest.

    Lauren Compere of Boston Common Asset Management said Facebook remains attractive given its strong growth and cash generation, and said the company deserved credit for steps like fighting unreasonable government requests for users’ information.

    Julie Goodridge of NorthStar Asset Management, with about 36,900 Facebook shares, said managers should keep their shares.

    They should vote in support of upcoming proxy resolutions like one from her firm calling for Facebook to give all shares an equal vote, which would reduce Zuckerberg’s power.

     

  • Data privacy scandal: Facebook suspends 200 apps

    Data privacy scandal: Facebook suspends 200 apps

    Facebook Inc has so far suspended around 200 apps in the first stage of its review into apps that had access to large quantities of user data, in a response to a scandal around political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

    “The apps were suspended pending a thorough investigation into whether they misused any data,’’ Ime Archibong, Facebook’s vice president of product partnerships said on Monday.

    Facebook said it has looked into thousands of apps till date as part of an investigation that Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg announced on March 21.

    Zuckerberg had said the social network will investigate all apps that had access to large amounts of information before the company curtailed data access in 2014.

    “There is a lot more work to be done to find all the apps that may have misused people’s Facebook data and it will take time.

    “We have large teams of internal and external experts working hard to investigate these apps as quickly as possible,” Archibong said.

    Facebook was hit by the privacy scandal in mid-March after media reports that Cambridge Analytica improperly accessed data to build profiles on American voters and influence the 2016 presidential election.

    The incident led to backlash from celebrities and resulted in the company losing billions in market value.

    Zuckerberg apologised for the mistakes his company made and testified before the U.S. lawmakers.

    The company, however, regained much of its lost market value after it reported a surprisingly strong 63 per cent rise in profit and an increase in users when it announced quarterly results on April 25.

     

  • Facebook rejigs after data privacy scandal

    Facebook on Tuesday announced that Jeff Zients, the CEO of Cranemere, has been appointed to the company’s board of directors and audit committee, effective May 31, 2018, immediately following Facebook’s annual meeting of stockholders.

    Following Zients’s appointment the board will consist of seven independent, non-employee directors out of nine total directors.

    “I am proud to join the Facebook Board and I look forward to working with Mark and the other directors as the company builds for the future. This is an exciting time for the company, and I am delighted to be part of the Board as the company works to face the opportunities and challenges of trying to bring the world closer together,” said Zients.

    Zients currently serves as the CEO of the Cranemere Group Limited, a diversified holding company. From March 2014 to January 2017, Zients served as Director of the National Economic Council for President Obama and served as Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget from January 2012 to April 2013.

    He also founded and managed Portfolio Logic LLC, an investment firm, from 2003 to 2009. From 1992 to 2004, Zients served in various roles at the Advisory Board Company, a research and consulting firm, including as Chairman from 2001 to 2004 and Chief Executive Officer from 1998 to 2000.

    He also served as Chairman of the Corporate Executive Board, a business research firm, from 2000 to 2001. Zients holds a B.A. in political science from Duke University.

    Zients serves on the board of Cranemere Group Limited and Timbuk2 Design. He is also a director of the Biden Cancer Initiative.

    Facebook also announced the following changes to the membership of its board committees: in addition to Zients, Kenneth I. Chenault will join the Audit Committee. Susan D. Desmond-Hellmann will move from the Audit Committee to the Compensation & Governance Committee, and Marc L. Andreessen will remain on the Audit Committee but step off the Compensation & Governance Committee.

    Aside from Zients, Facebook’s current board members are: Mark Zuckerberg; Marc L. Andreessen, Andreessen Horowitz; Erskine B. Bowles, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina; Kenneth I. Chenault, Chairman and Managing Director, General Catalyst; Susan D. Desmond-Hellmann, CEO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Reed Hastings, Chairman and CEO, Netflix; Jan Koum, Founder, WhatsApp; Sheryl K. Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, Facebook; and Peter A. Thiel, Founders Fund.

    TheNewsGuru reports the board shuffling is coming after the social media giant survived a recent data privacy scandal.