Probably not a good thing. For one thing, these will attract the attention of the bad guys.

https://www.databreaches.net/state-legislatures-consider-bans-on-ransomware-payments/

State Legislatures Consider Bans on Ransomware Payments

Emily Poole of Alston & Bird writes:

As ransomware attacks continue to dominate the news cycle, legislation has recently been introduced in several states that would place limits on certain entities’ ability to pay a ransom payment in the event of a ransomware attack. Although the proposed limits would generally apply to state agencies and other local governmental authorities, certain state proposals may also apply to state agencies’ IT service providers, entities that receive public funds, and/or business entities more broadly. The following summary provides an overview of five pending bills in New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Read about the bills on Privacy, Cyber & Data Strategy Blog.

"If you want peace, prepare for war?" You also need to prepare if you expect war.

https://thehackernews.com/2021/06/cyber-espionage-by-chinese-hackers-in.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheHackersNews+%28The+Hackers+News+-+Cyber+Security+Blog%29

Cyber espionage by Chinese hackers in neighbouring nations is on the rise

… In a wide-ranging report published by Massachusetts-headquartered Recorded Future this week, the cybersecurity firm's Insikt Group said it identified ties between a group it tracks as "RedFoxtrot” to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Unit 69010 operating out of Ürümqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the country.

Yeah, but…

https://venturebeat.com/2021/06/18/cybersecurity-is-the-next-frontier-for-ai-and-ml/

Cybersecurity is the next frontier for AI and ML

… I do see more and more cybersecurity companies leverage ML and AI in some way. The question is to what degree. I have written before about the dangers of algorithms. It’s gotten too easy for any software engineer to play a data scientist. It’s as easy as downloading a library and calling the .start() function. The challenge lies in the fact that the engineer often has no idea what just happened within the algorithm and how to correctly use it. Does the algorithm work with non normally distributed data? What about normalizing the data before inputting it into the algorithm? How should the results be interpreted? I gave a talk at BlackHat where I showed what happens when we don’t know what an algorithm is doing.

So, the mere fact that a company is using AI or ML in their product is not a good indicator of the product actually doing something smart. On the contrary, most companies I have looked at that claimed to use AI for some core capability are doing it ‘wrong’ in some way, shape or form. To be fair, there are some companies that stick to the right principles, hire actual data scientists, apply algorithms correctly, and interpret the data correctly.

(Related) What have we been doing?

https://siliconangle.com/2021/06/18/ai-researchers-publish-theoretical-theory-explains-deep-learning-actually-works/

AI researchers publish theory to explain how deep learning actually works

Artificial intelligence researchers from Facebook Inc., Princeton University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have teamed up to publish a new manuscript that they say offers a theoretical framework describing for the first time how deep neural networks actually work.

… The manuscript, called “The Principles of Deep Learning Theory: An Effective Theory Approach to Understanding Neural Networks,” is an attempt to fill that knowledge gap. A collaboration among Yaida, Dan Roberts of MIT and Salesforce and Boris Hanin at Princeton, it’s the first real attempt at providing a theoretical framework for understanding DNNs from first principles.

… The Principles of Deep Learning Theory is available to download now on arXiv [I did not find it there. Bob] and will be published by Cambridge University Press in early 2022.

Leading to a national ID card? First, “Prove you’ve been vaccinated.” Then, “Prove you’re a citizen, citizen.”

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/18/california-launches-new-digital-tool-to-show-covid-19-vaccine-record/

Here’s how to use California’s new COVID vaccine verification system

The new tool is a way for residents to show they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus without having to carry their paper card around

Perhaps I’m not the only one who sees problems?

https://bigtechnology.substack.com/p/the-big-tech-bill-that-could-backfire

The Big Tech Bill That Could Backfire Spectacularly

… Well, in its ambitious package of Big Tech antitrust legislation, Congress may have shot a dumb rocket. The Platform Competition and Opportunity Act, one of the five bills introduced last week, would effectively put an end to the tech giants’ ability to make acquisitions. Big Tech has acquired plenty of competitors over the years and either captured their growth or shut them down, so the act might seem logical. But such a broad ban could have serious unintended consequences and lead to less competition, not more.

For your consideration.

https://www.makeuseof.com/best-microsoft-tools-for-teachers/

The 8 Best Microsoft Tools for Teachers

With no incentive to ‘make the punishment fit the crime,’ settling fast seems to be the cheapest option.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/06/first-american-financial-pays-farcical-500k-fine/

First American Financial Pays Farcical $500K Fine

In May 2019, KrebsOnSecurity broke the news that the website of mortgage settlement giant First American Financial Corp. was leaking more than 800 million documents — many containing sensitive financial data — related to real estate transactions dating back 16 years. This week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission settled its investigation into the matter after the Fortune 500 company agreed to pay a paltry penalty of less than $500,000.

If you bought or sold a property in the last two decades or so, chances are decent that you also gave loads of personal and financial documents to First American. According to data from the American Land Title Association, First American is the second largest mortgage title and settlement company in the United States, handling nearly a quarter of all closings each year.

Some people will find a way to abuse any tool. Strange, but I seem to recall that cars also have something that reports your speed.

https://www.makeuseof.com/snapchat-removes-speedometer-prevent-potential-lawsuits/

Snapchat Removes Speedometer Filter to Prevent Potential Lawsuits

Critics have argued that the speed filter encourages users to engage in reckless driving.

...and in Texas, everyone carries a gun.

https://www.huntonprivacyblog.com/2021/06/17/texas-amends-breach-notification-law-to-require-public-reporting-of-breach-notices/

Texas Amends Breach Notification Law to Require Public Reporting of Breach Notices

On June 14, 2021, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 3746, a bill amending Texas’s data breach notification law. Texas’s breach notification law requires notice to affected residents in the event of a data breach affecting certain sensitive personal data, including Social Security numbers, driver’s license or other government-issued ID numbers, account numbers or payment card numbers in combination with any required security code, access code or password, or certain information about an individual’s health or medical condition or treatment. The law also requires businesses to notify the Texas Attorney General of any data breach affecting at least 250 Texas residents.

… The amendments in HB 3746 take effect September 1, 2021.

Let’s see who ignores this warning.

https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/18/uks-ico-warns-over-big-data-surveillance-threat-of-live-facial-recognition-in-public/

UK’s ICO warns over ‘big data’ surveillance threat of live facial recognition in public

The UK’s chief data protection regulator has warned over reckless and inappropriate use of live facial recognition (LFR) in public places.

Publishing an opinion today on the use of this biometric surveillance in public — to set out what is dubbed as the “rules of engagement” — the information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, also noted that a number of investigations already undertaken by her office into planned applications of the tech have found problems in all cases.

“I am deeply concerned about the potential for live facial recognition (LFR) technology to be used inappropriately, excessively or even recklessly. When sensitive personal data is collected on a mass scale without people’s knowledge, choice or control, the impacts could be significant,” she warned in a blog post.

… “It is telling that none of the organisations involved in our completed investigations were able to fully justify the processing and, of those systems that went live, none were fully compliant with the requirements of data protection law. All of the organisations chose to stop, or not proceed with, the use of LFR.”

(Related)

https://www.pogowasright.org/new-york-city-biometric-ordinance-effective-july-9-are-you-ready/

New York City Biometric Ordinance Effective July 9, Are You Ready?

Liisa Thomas, Kari Rollins, and Julia Kadish of Sheppard Mullin write:

New York City recently enacted a biometric ordinance that is set to come into effect July 9, 2021. With this ordinance, NYC joins other cities (like Portland) in regulating the use of biometric information. The ordinance may impact retailers, restaurants, and entertainment venues in the city that use security cameras with facial-recognition technology or otherwise collect biometric identifiers from their customers.

Applicability. The law applies to commercial establishments (like the type itemized above) that collect “biometric identifier information” from “customers.”

Read more on Eye on Privacy.

Perspective. 20 minute video

https://www.barrons.com/video/tom-siebel-on-the-promise-and-risks-of-ai/E04ECEB8-AD37-44CC-A866-28E92FF93290.html

Tom Siebel on the Promise and Risks of AI

Tom Siebel, CEO of C3.ai, on using AI for cybersecurity, IoT and precision medicine. He sees widespread medical adoption in 10 years but warns safeguards are needed.

Perspective. A lawyer hoping that AI won’t replace lawyers? (For the medium-term?)

https://www.bespacific.com/the-limits-of-law-and-ai-2/

The Limits of Law and AI

McCarl, Ryan, The Limits of Law and AI (March 16, 2021). University of Cincinnati Law Review, Vol. 90, No. 3, 2022, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3805453

“For thirty years, scholars in the field of law and artificial intelligence (AI) have explored the extent to which tasks performed by lawyers and judges can be assisted by computers. This article describes the medium-term outlook for AI technologies and explains the obstacles to making legal work computable. I argue that while AI-based software is likely to improve legal research and support human decisionmaking, it is unlikely to replace traditional legal work or otherwise transform the practice of law”

Imagine what might happen if President Biden makes Putin angry…

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/17/1007496797/airlines-banks-and-other-companies-across-the-world-hit-in-latest-web-outage

Airlines, Banks And Other Companies Across The World Hit In The Latest Web Outage

Several major companies, financial institutions and airlines from the U.S. to Australia and Hong Kong suffered brief online outages Thursday due to a third-party IT provider.

The outage appeared to affect each company's website and mobile applications. Internet monitoring websites including ThousandEyes and Downdetector.com showed disruptions across the world.

In Australia, major banks and airlines were hit by the outage, affecting business in the middle of the day.

This all comes a week after a similar major outage at the cloud service company Fastly.

… Major airlines in the U.S., including Delta, American, Southwest and United, experienced outages at around 1 a.m. ET. Financial institutions, Discover and Navy Federal Credit Union also suffered tech issues.

Hong Kong's stock exchange, one of the largest in the world, also had technical problems in the middle of the day.

(Related) Notice that the stories don’t exactly match.

https://www.9news.com/article/news/nation-world/southwest-airlines-delays-cancellations/507-df6bae12-c9aa-40b3-99f2-04db7b551424

Southwest Airlines dealing with 3rd day of flights canceled, delayed

… A Southwest spokesman says the technology problems have been fixed, but the airline is still working to resume normal operations.

On Monday night, problems with a third-party weather data provider caused Southwest to delay about 1,500 flights. Delta Air Lines and Alaska Airlines reported separate technical problems that affected customers trying to book flights.

… Then on Tuesday, the airline said it had to deal "intermittent performance issues with our network connectivity."

A security resource.

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2021/06/paul-van-oorschots-computer-security-and-the-internet.html

Paul van Oorschot’s Computer Security and the Internet

Paul van Oorschot’s webpage contains a complete copy of his book: Computer Security and the Internet: Tools and Jewels. It’s worth reading.

Disruption at many levels…

https://www.bespacific.com/ransomware-claims-are-roiling-an-entire-segment-of-the-insurance-industry/

Ransomware claims are roiling an entire segment of the insurance industry

Washington Post: “The recent surge of ransomware attacks is upending the cyber insurance industry, pushing up the requirements and cost of coverage just as more companies need it. Ransomware attacks — in which cybercriminals take over an organization’s computer network and demand a payment to hand back control — have increased in frequency and severity over the past two years. According to blockchain research firm Chainalysis, ransom payments from companies increased 341 percent to a total of $412 million during 2020. “This is a tipping point this year,” said John Kerns, an executive managing director at insurance brokerage Beecher Carlson, a division of Brown & Brown, which sells cyber insurance. “I’ve been in business for 32 years and haven’t seen a market quite like this.” That’s pushing insurance carriers to reevaluate how much coverage they can afford to offer and how much they have to charge clients to do so. Underwriters are demanding to see detailed proof of clients’ cybersecurity measures in ways they never have before. For example, not using multifactor authentication, which requires a user to verify themselves in multiple ways, might result in a rejection…”

(Related)

https://threatpost.com/ransomware-victims-dont-pay-up/166989/

Exclusive Ransomware Poll: 80% of Victims Don’t Pay Up

Meanwhile, in a separate survey, 80 percent of organizations that paid the ransom said they were hit by a second attack.

This article is based on a much more in-depth piece, available in the free Threatpost Insider eBook, entitled “2021: The Evolution of Ransomware.” Download it today for much more on ransomware trends and the underground economy!

Can you force a government agency to do its job?

https://www.pogowasright.org/epic-report-what-the-ftc-could-be-doing-but-isnt-to-protect-privacy/

EPIC Report: What the FTC Could Be Doing (But Isn’t) To Protect Privacy

From EPIC.org:

EPIC has released a report highlighting numerous statutory authorities that the Federal Trade Commission has failed to use to safeguard privacy. The report, What the FTC Could Be Doing (But Isn’t) to Protect Privacy, identifies untapped or underused powers in the FTC’s toolbox and explains how the FTC should deploy them to protect the public from abusive data practices. EPIC’s report also criticizes the FTC’s lack of effective privacy enforcement over the past two decades. “A common refrain from the Commission during this period is that it lacks the authority to address these mounting threats to individual privacy,” the report explains. “But the FTC has not made full use of the authorities that it already has.” The report comes a day after Lina Khan was confirmed to the FTC and named chairwoman of the Commission. EPIC has frequently challenged the FTC over its failure to address consumer privacy harms and has long advocated for the creation of a U.S. Data Protection Agency. EPIC also supports legislation that would restore the FTC’s 13(b) authority to obtain restitution for individuals harmed by companies’ unlawful trade practices, which the Supreme Court recently curtailed in AMG Capital Management v. Federal Trade Commission.

This technology (when further developed) will likely become a mandatory test for all digital evidence.

https://www.engadget.com/facebooks-latest-ai-detects-deep-fakes-and-knows-where-they-came-from-160012532.html

Facebook's latest AI doesn't just detect deep fakes, it knows where they came from

… While the possibilities for entertainment using this tech are boundless, deep fake videos have the potential to severely disrupt the public’s trust in government and our elected officials — even the ability to believe our own eyes. On Wednesday, Facebook and Michigan State University debuted a novel method of not just detecting deep fakes but discovering which generative model produced it by reverse engineering the image itself.

… Problem is, if the image was created by a generative model that the detector system wasn’t trained on then the system won’t have the previous experience to be able to spot the fake.

Will my lack of a smartphone mean I don’t exist?

https://www.wired.com/story/apple-wallet-drivers-license-digital-id/?redirectURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wired.com%2Fstory%2Fapple-wallet-drivers-license-digital-id%2F

Apple Says It's Time to Digitize Your ID, Ready or Not

IF YOU'VE EVER scanned a digital boarding pass directly from your phone at airport security, you can imagine how doing the same with your driver's license would make life a little easier. Beginning in iOS 15 this fall, Apple will enable just that, letting you store your state ID alongside your credit cards, loyalty programs, transit passes, and even door and car keys in Apple Wallet. By doing so, the company won't just introduce convenience; it may well be the tipping point that forces more states, the US government, and even Android to make digital driver's licenses the norm.

So how should we address un-ethical AI?

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/06/16/experts-doubt-ethical-ai-design-will-be-broadly-adopted-as-the-norm-within-the-next-decade/

Experts Doubt Ethical AI Design Will Be Broadly Adopted as the Norm Within the Next Decade

… a number of experts and advocates around the world have become worried about the long-term impact and implications of AI applications. They have concerns about how advances in AI will affect what it means to be human, to be productive and to exercise free will. Dozens of convenings and study groups have issued papers proposing what the tenets of ethical AI design should be, and government working teams have tried to address these issues. In light of this, Pew Research Center and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center asked experts where they thought efforts aimed at creating ethical artificial intelligence would stand in the year 2030. Some 602 technology innovators, developers, business and policy leaders, researchers and activists responded to this specific question:

By 2030, will most of the AI systems being used by organizations of all sorts employ ethical principles focused primarily on the public good?

In response, 68% chose the option declaring that ethical principles focused primarily on the public good will not be employed in most AI systems by 2030; 32% chose the option positing that ethical principles focused primarily on the public good will be employed in most AI systems by 2030.

A direction I did not anticipate.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-03453-y

The rise of intelligent matter

Artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating the development of unconventional computing paradigms inspired by the abilities and energy efficiency of the brain. The human brain excels especially in computationally intensive cognitive tasks, such as pattern recognition and classification. A long-term goal is de-centralized neuromorphic computing, relying on a network of distributed cores to mimic the massive parallelism of the brain, thus rigorously following a nature-inspired approach for information processing. Through the gradual transformation of interconnected computing blocks into continuous computing tissue, the development of advanced forms of matter exhibiting basic features of intelligence can be envisioned, able to learn and process information in a delocalized manner. Such intelligent matter would interact with the environment by receiving and responding to external stimuli, while internally adapting its structure to enable the distribution and storage (as memory) of information. We review progress towards implementations of intelligent matter using molecular systems, soft materials or solid-state materials, with respect to applications in soft robotics, the development of adaptive artificial skins and distributed neuromorphic computing.

Facial recognition. Don’t you hate people who are cheerful in the morning? Would these cameras accept my snarl as a smile?

https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/17/22538160/ai-camera-smile-recognition-office-workers-china-canon

Canon put AI cameras in its Chinese offices that only let smiling workers inside

The latest example of dystopian workplace surveillance

To paraphrase Shakespeare, "A hack by any other name would smell." Perhaps they can safely ignore military targets if they can bankrupt the country.

https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/15/ncsc_chief_rusi_speech/

NCSC chief: Ransomware is more of a threat to Britain than hostile nations' spies

Forget foreign spies. The head of Britain's National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) has warned it is ransomware that's the key threat for most people.

… The speech marks the first time that GCHQ, the spy agency and parent body of the National Cyber Security Centre, has acknowledged a cyber threat as being of more concern to the UK than traditional state spying.

"Four nation states – China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran – have been a constant presence in recent years. And as I've said before, we face a determined, aggressive Russia, seeking traditional political advantage by new, high-tech means," said Cameron.

Serious company, silly name.

https://www.bespacific.com/duckduckgos-quest-to-prove-online-privacy-is-possible/

DuckDuckGo’s Quest to Prove Online Privacy Is Possible

Wired: “…DuckDuckGo is on a mission to prove that giving up one’s privacy online is not, in fact, inevitable. Over the past several years, it has expanded far beyond its original search engine to provide a suite of free privacy-centric tools, including a popular browser extension, that plug up the various holes through which ad tech companies and data brokers spy on us as we browse the internet and use our phones. This year it will roll out some major new products and features, including a desktop browser and email privacy protection. And it will spend more money than it ever has on advertising to get the word out. The long-term goal is to turn DuckDuckGo into an all-in-one online privacy shield—what Gabriel Weinberg, the company’s founder and CEO, calls “the ‘easy button’ for privacy.”…if DuckDuckGo succeeds at bringing simple privacy to the masses, it will mean that the future of privacy might not depend on the relative benevolence of just two corporate overlords…”

Another privacy impactive technology. What was grandpa really saying in those old home movies?

https://www.vice.com/en/article/bvzvdw/tech-companies-are-training-ai-to-read-your-lips

Tech Companies Are Training AI to Read Your Lips

First came facial recognition. Now, an early form of lip-reading AI is being deployed in hospitals, power plants, public transportation, and more.

At some point, they might tell us what this is about.

https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-protection/proposed-gdpr-fine-on-amazon-stems-from-mystery-allegations-out-of-luxembourg/

Proposed GDPR Fine on Amazon Stems From Mystery Allegations Out of Luxembourg

Amazon is facing what would be the biggest fine to date under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, but it’s not yet clear to the general public exactly what the allegations are. The GDPR fine has been proposed by Luxembourg’s data protection commission, which has submitted a draft decision to the data protection authorities of the other EU member states. A confidential source that spoke to the Wall Street Journal said that the decision is related to Amazon’s privacy and data collection practices, but does not involve the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing service.

Anonymous sources have told the Wall Street Journal that the Luxembourg National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) has proposed a $425 million GDPR fine. That would greatly exceed the current GDPR fine record, a $56.6 million penalty on Google in France for its data consent policies.

You should know this already.

https://hbr.org/2021/06/legacy-companies-need-to-become-more-data-driven-fast

Legacy Companies Need to Become More Data Driven — Fast

Legacy companies need to adapt if they want to stay competitive. They should consider these five tactics to focus their efforts and avoid wasting time, effort, and resources: prioritize the data that’s most important to their business; link investments in technology to high-value objectives; centralize data infrastructure and decentralize customer management; educate C-suite executives on the value of machine learning and AI; start small and look for measurable wins, and stay realistic about how long transformational change takes.

Be careful what can of worms you open when you attack a rival.

https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-privacy/facebook-attacks-apple-with-academic-research-commissioned-study-claims-new-ios-14-privacy-features-are-anticompetitive/

Facebook Attacks Apple With Academic Research; Commissioned Study Claims New iOS 14 Privacy Features Are Anticompetitive

Facebook is employing some creative new tactics in its extended battle with Apple over the new iOS 14 limitations on personalized advertising. The social media giant has commissioned an academic research report that, unsurprisingly, comes to the conclusion that Apple’s new privacy policies are anticompetitive and prioritize Apple’s own services.

… Though this particular study may not stand up to the most rigorous of academic standards it does raise some legitimate points of discussion about possible anticompetitive elements of Apple’s new policies, some of which have been echoed in recent government antitrust probes.

Redefining anti-trust.

https://stratechery.com/2021/the-cicilline-salvo/

The Cicilline Salvo

House lawmakers proposed a raft of bipartisan legislation aimed at reining in the country’s biggest tech companies, including a bill that seeks to make Amazon.com Inc. and other large corporations effectively split in two or shed their private-label products. The bills, announced Friday, amount to the biggest congressional broadside yet on a handful of technology companies — including Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Apple Inc. and Facebook Inc. as well as Amazon — whose size and power have drawn growing scrutiny from lawmakers and regulators in the U.S. and Europe. If the bills become law—a prospect that faces significant hurdles—they could substantially alter the most richly valued companies in America and reshape an industry that has extended its impact into nearly every facet of work and life.

(Related)

https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-senate-confirms-big-tech-critic-lina-khan-ftc-2021-06-15/

Big Tech critic Khan becomes U.S. FTC chair

Lina Khan, an antitrust researcher focused on Big Tech’s immense market power, was sworn in on Tuesday as chair of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, a victory for progressives seeking a clampdown on tech firms who hold a hefty share of a growing sector of the economy.

Hours earlier, the U.S. Senate had confirmed Khan, with bipartisan support

… In 2017, Khan wrote a highly regarded article, "Amazon's Antitrust Paradox," [https://www.yalelawjournal.org/note/amazons-antitrust-paradox] for the Yale Law Journal. It argued that the traditional antitrust focus on price was inadequate to identify antitrust harms done by Amazon.

Perspective. They must expect a market…

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/16/gm-ups-spending-on-evs-and-autonomous-vehicles-to-35-billion-by-2025.html

GM ups spending on EVs and autonomous vehicles by 30% to $35 billion by 2025 on higher profits

This happens when you don’t think a breach could happen to you.

https://www.databreaches.net/co-cedaredge-company-fined-for-not-securing-customer-data/

CO: Cedaredge company fined for not securing customer data

The Daily Sentinel reports:

A Cedaredge-based mobile home management company has been fined $25,000 for failing to secure its customers data.

The Colorado Attorney General’s Office announced the fine and an agreement for Impact MHC to implement new data security measures after a 2018 data breach.

According to a news release, the breach exposed sensitive information belonging to 15,000 people, including 719 Coloradans.

Read more on The Daily Sentinel.

The following is the state’s press release:

… After discovering the data breach, Impact took 10 months to provide notice to Colorado consumers, even though Colorado law generally requires notice of a data breach no later than 30 days after the breach occurs.

… In today’s settlement, the company agreed to pay $25,000 to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, and an additional $30,000 if it fails to implement other measures, like creating a written information disposal policy, a comprehensive cybersecurity program, and an incident response plan in the event of future data security incidents.

… Click here to learn more about companies’ responsibilities in the event of a data breach.

Deals with the privacy of data I released to the public…

https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-supreme-court-revives-linkedin-bid-shield-personal-data-2021-06-14/

U.S. Supreme Court revives LinkedIn bid to shield personal data

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday gave Microsoft Corp’s LinkedIn Corp another chance to try to stop rival hiQ Labs Inc from harvesting personal data from the professional networking platform’s public profiles - a practice that LinkedIn contends threatens the privacy of its users.

The justices threw out a lower court ruling that had barred LinkedIn from denying hiQ access to the information that LinkedIn members had made publicly available.

(Related)

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-delete-personal-data-public-record-websites/

How to Delete Your Personal Data From Public Record Websites

It used to be that listings websites would make it very difficult for you to remove your data. Often, they would request annoying things like printing and posting a paper form, or even requiring you to send a fax.

But now, thanks in part to EU data control laws, the sites must give you a reasonable way to remove your details. Even if you live outside the EU, a website must allow you to remove information if it operates within Europe.

Surprised?

https://www.bespacific.com/what-data-about-you-can-the-government-get-from-big-tech/

What Data About You Can the Government Get From Big Tech?

The New York Times: “The Justice Department, starting in the early days of the Trump administration, secretly sought data from some of the biggest tech companies about journalists, Democratic lawmakers and White House officials as part of wide-ranging investigations into leaks and other matters, The New York Times reported last week. The revelations, which put the companies in the middle of a clash over the Trump administration’s efforts to find the sources of news coverage, raised questions about what sorts of data tech companies collect on their users, and how much of it is accessible to law enforcement authorities. Here’s a rundown..”

In my non-lawyer ignorance, I see unintended consequences everywhere. Can you be a monopoly if you have less than 35% of the market? If you offered customers an option to search only “Amazon products” or “Non-Amazon products,” would that eliminate any concerns about self-promotion? What has changed from 100+ years ago? (Besides every company now looking at global markets rather than only domestic.)

https://www.makeuseof.com/us-antitrust-bills-target-big-tech/

What Are the New US Antitrust Laws and How Will They Take Down Big Tech?

… Five bills have been drafted by the House and submitted for judicial review in response to its findings. These proposals seek to limit the competitive advantage that these companies and others like them enjoy currently.

Marketplace owners, Amazon being one very clear example, will no longer be allowed to promote their own products over others using their platform. Other concerns, such as the eradication of nascent competition by winner-take-all acquisition, are also on the table for discussion.

… According to Sub-section (a) of Section 12 of the Clayton Act, an antitrust law is an initiative that seeks to protect fair trade from monopolies who wish to exploit the market at the expense of every other player in the game.

Perspective. Can you spot any trends? Some Privacy tools…

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/technology-pioneers-2021-world-economic-forum/

Meet the World Economic Forum's Technology Pioneers of 2021

From artificial intelligence to healthcare to fintech, the latest group of World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers blends entrepreneurial spirit with science and engineering to tackle global problems head on.

Resources I share with my Math students.

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/20-websites-need-learn-math-step-step/

The 20 Best Websites to Bookmark for Learning Math Step by Step