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GM was collecting and sharing drivers' data, often without their knowledge

Apr 25, 2024
A conversation with the reporter who broke the story, then found out she was among the drivers impacted.
"I was shocked, but at the same time, this is what drivers of GM vehicles had been telling me," said Kashmir Hill at the New York Times when she discovered her driving data had been collected without her recalling consenting to share it.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Is Ireland too economically dependent on Big Tech to regulate it properly?

Jan 31, 2023
Ireland is at loggerheads with the European Union over the best way to police American tech giants with European headquarters on Irish soil.
The influx of Big Tech companies to Ireland has helped fuel  the country's economic growth. Above, Google's offices in Dublin.
Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images

Complying with California's new privacy law is a big deal for employers

Jan 2, 2023
Employers collect a lot of data on workers beyond the basics: surveillance footage, emails, facial recognition. Now, they have to account for all of it.
Human resources files, emails and other information must now be accounted for under California's expanded consumer privacy law.
dusanpetkovic/Getty Images

Ireland fines Meta more than $275 million for failing to protect user data

Nov 29, 2022
Irish regulators fined the social media company about $275 million after an investigation found that it failed to prevent unauthorized access to half a billion Facebook users' personal information.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

How a pair of tights contributed to legal protections for privacy in the U.S.

Apr 18, 2022
In a new book, legal historian Amy Gajda explores the origins of the “right to privacy.” A daring moment in a Broadway show is part of the story.
U.S. courts have balanced individual privacy rights with the public’s right to know. In a new book, Tulane law professor and former journalist Amy Gajda examines the strength of those rights today.
Photo by Chaloner Woods/Getty Images

User data, software updates on agenda at Apple developer conference

Jun 7, 2021
The Worldwide Developers Conference will likely focus on privacy. But it's also a big event for third-party software developers.
Apple's not likely to drop a brand-new iPhone this time around, but software updates that deal with user data might make news.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Apple releases privacy update that clamps down on data tracking

Apr 27, 2021
Apple’s privacy feature requires apps that track users’ web activities to get their express permission before doing so.
Apple has been talking about this change for seven months, and companies reliant on online advertising, like Facebook, have said their profitability could take a hit.
Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Apple bets on users opting in to be tracked, rather than opting out

Apr 20, 2021
Apple's new App Tracking Transparency feature comes as a blow to advertisers who've depended on default tracking.
This change means apps won’t be able to collect as much data about mobile users or sell it to advertisers.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Trump administration moves past TikTok to take action on more Chinese tech companies

The rationale is that the U.S. needs "clean networks" to guard Americans’ data and the secrets of U.S. companies.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has laid out an expansive plan to keep out entire categories of Chinese tech: apps, data storage, internet and phone services. Pictured: Pompeo speaks during a news conference at the State Department on Aug. 5, 2020.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

FCC set to fine big telecom companies for selling location data. Is $200 million enough?

Feb 28, 2020
Two hundred million dollars sounds like a lot of cash, but it's just a drop in the bucket for many multinationals companies.
Alex Wong/Getty Images