What’s New?

Ransomware is old news – it has been around at least since 1989 – but it has only now started to attract widespread attention. Ransomware is a type of malicious software (or malware, for short) that blocks access to the infected device, to some or all of the information stored in the device, or even worse, to files in the device’s network. To unlock either the device or the data, the responsible cybercriminals require the victim to pay a ransom. Ransomware is typically enabled when a victim clicks on malicious links in an email or online.
 

What’s New?

After months of negotiations, it’s official: the EU-US Privacy Shield has been formally approved on both sides of the Atlantic, by the EU Commission and the US Commerce Department, despite concerns surrounding the adequacy of its earlier version.

What’s New?

Recent reports indicate that advertising fraud is not only increasing but is now being run by groups alongside otherwise legitimate advertising businesses. 
 
Cybersecurity company Check Point recently released a report finding that HummingBad—a known malware that takes over Android devices, generates fraudulent advertising revenue, and installs apps on the infected phones—was developed and is controlled by a group of cybercriminals within Yingmob, an otherwise legitimate advertising analytics business based in Beijing. 
 

Mobile advertising company InMobi, whose advertising network reaches more than one billion devices worldwide through thousands of apps, has settled with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that it “deceptively tracked” the locations of hundreds of millions of consumers without their knowledge or consent, in a deal announced June 22.

Consumer advocate groups--Public Knowledge, Consumer Watchdog, Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action, TURN-The Utility Reform Network and Consumer Federation of America—recently filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and a petition with the Federal Communications Commission against AT&T, Cablevision, and Comcast, citing privacy-related offenses.

If you attended the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, you probably noticed many concepts applied to the one item that many Americans use every day: the automobile. Over the past few years technology developers and manufacturers have set their sights on the automotive industry, which is one of the largest industries in the United States. From automated cars, syncing software, to wearable devices that interact with a vehicle, it is clear that our time in the car is under an era of rapid change. 
 

A German data protection regulator reportedly fined 3 companies—Adobe Systems, Punica, and Unilever—a total of 28,000 euros ($32,000) for continuing to rely on the Safe Harbor framework and failing to set up alternative legal channels for cross-border data transfers quickly enough, following Safe Harbor’s demise in October of last year. Adobe was fined 8,000 euros, Punica 9,000 euros, and Unilever 11,000 euros.
 

Last week, Sarah Bruno joined International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Privacy Advisor editor Angelique Carson and Lourdes Turrecha to discuss her experiences in the privacy field.

On May 25, 2016, the White House released its much anticipated Data Security Policy Principles and Framework (Security Framework) for President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI). The PMI is aimed at pioneering a new model of patient-powered research to improve health and treat disease, which takes into account individual differences in people’s genes, environments, and lifestyles.