Hello Friends,
Sri Lanka passed the personal data protection bill on 9th March 2022 with some amends. The bill was passed without a vote after a raft of amendments was made to the original version.
The announcement was done by Sri Lanka Parliament Twitter Account. A finalized version of the bill is not yet made public. The current copy is available on the Sri Lanka Parliament website.
This news and more, in this fortnights' Data Privacy Insights- curated privacy news from across the globe.
Enjoy reading!
Data Breach
Data Breach at US Heart Disease Treatment Center Impacts 287,000 Individuals
A data breach at US health clinic South Denver Cardiology Associates (SDCA) has exposed the medical information of more than 287,000 people. In a data breach notice (PDF), SDCA admitted that an unnamed attacker broke into its systems and had access to confidential databases for three days between January 2, 2022, and January 5, 2022, before the breach was detected and thwarted.
ENFORCEMENT
Clearview AI to Pay More for Facial Recognition Scraping as Italy Issues a €20 Million Fine
Facial recognition company Clearview AI continues to rack up fines and penalties around the world as the Italian data protection agency has reached a decision against it, assessing a €20 million penalty for its history of scraping photos from social media sites and other public sources.
RBI to LayOut IT Audit Guidelines for Paytm Payments Bank
India’s central bank would set the terms of reference for an independent technology audit of Paytm Payments Bank after the regulator banned the onboarding of new customers for alleged violations of customer acquisition and privacy rules that may have included possible data flow to companies of Chinese origin.
FTC Takes Action Against Company Formerly Known as Weight Watchers for Illegally Collecting Kids’ Sensitive Health Data
In a complaint, filed by the Department of Justice on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission, the agency alleged that WW International, Inc., formerly known as Weight Watchers, and a subsidiary called Kurbo, Inc., marketed a weight loss app for use by children as young as eight and then collected their personal information without parental permission. The settlement order requires WW International and Kurbo to delete personal information illegally collected from children under 13, destroy any algorithms derived from the data, and pay a $1.5 million penalty.
Privacy Regulations
Parliament of Sri Lanka Passes Personal Data Protection Bill
Sri Lanka parliament enacted the Data Protection Act aiming to promote a digital economy amid concerns raised over the privacy of individuals and adverse impact on media reporting. The bill was passed without a vote after a raft of amendments was made to the original version
UAE Prime Minister Enacts DIFC Amendments, Including Data Protection Changes
Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the leading global financial centre in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region announced on 8th March 2022 that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, in his capacity as the Ruler of Dubai, has enacted the DIFC Laws Amendment Law, DIFC Law No. 2 of 2022 to incorporate amendments that keep the regulatory framework aligned with international best practice.
Russia - Ukraine
Ukraine Has Started Using Clearview AI’s Facial Recognition During War
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has been granted free access to Clearview AI’s facial recognition software, Reuters reports. The company has offered “to uncover Russian assailants, combat misinformation and identify the dead.” Clearview CEO Hoan Ton-That reportedly wrote a letter to Ukrainian authorities and offered assistance amid the Russian invasion. Ton-That claimed Clearview had more than 2 billion images from Russian social media service VKontakte at its disposal.
Privacy Resources
US State Privacy Legislation Tracker
State-level momentum for comprehensive privacy bills is at an all-time high. After the California Consumer Privacy Act was passed in 2018, multiple states proposed similar legislation to protect consumers in their states. The IAPP Westin Research Center compiled a list of proposed and enacted comprehensive privacy bills from across the country to stay abreast of the changing state-privacy landscape.
