Concord Privacy News: 09/06/22

FTC Exploring Rules to Address Data Surveillance and Consumer Privacy

While Congress continues to weigh the American Data Privacy and Protection Act, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced it is considering rules to “crack down on harmful commercial surveillance and lax data security.” The goal is to protect people’s privacy and information — and to deter companies from collecting, analyzing, and profiting from that information.

FTC Chair Linda M. Khan said, “Firms now collect personal data on individuals at a massive scale and in a stunning array of contexts. The growing digitization of our economy—coupled with business models that can incentivize endless hoovering up of sensitive user data and a vast expansion of how this data is used—means that potentially unlawful practices may be prevalent.”

It has become increasingly clear that data surveillance has led to changing behaviors online, including higher usage of data/ad blocking tools, decreased engagement, and an increase in opt-outs and drop-offs. This has also resulted in companies and government agencies facing their own customer data crisis precipitated by declining data quality, lower customer participation, and increasing data privacy regulations. That’s why Concord’s data privacy platform addresses compliance and privacy-first data collection to drive better data, user loyalty, and security & protection. Learn more at concord.tech.

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Provisions of Quebec’s New Data Privacy Law Take Effect in September

Last year, lawmakers in Quebec enacted Bill 64 regarding the protection of personal information.Among its many provisions, two take effect this year. Beginning in September, private sector businesses must comply with certain administrative controls, including designating a privacy officer to oversee compliance, as well as begin reporting any breaches that have compromised personal information and present a “risk of serious injury” to the impacted individuals.

Other provisions that take effect in subsequent years that private sector businesses must comply with include publishing policies and practices governing the use of personal information on company websites, implementing privacy by default settings for users, conducting privacy impact assessments, and implementing consent management for any collection of personal information.

While Bill 64 applies only to businesses operating in and outside Quebec that process the personal information of Quebecers, it could be a harbinger of broader privacy laws throughout Canada.

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Other Privacy News of Note

Sephora to Pay $1.2 Million in Privacy Settlement with Calif. AG Over Data Sales

Sephora USA Inc has agreed to pay $1.2 million to resolve claims by California Attorney General Rob Bonta that the beauty retailer violated the state's consumer privacy law, his office said in a Wednesday statement. Sephora allegedly failed to tell consumers the company sold personal data collected on its website and did not process requests to opt out of sales through privacy controls set by users, Bonta's office said. Read more
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Gartner Forecasts Consumer Data Protection Will Cover Three-Quarters of All People by 2024

Michael Hughes, Chief Business Officer at privacy-enhancing data science firm Duality Technologies says it is crucial for enterprises to work towards putting in place privacy and security guarantees that ensure the protection of their data and those of their customers. Read more
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Google Has Once Again Said That Even Though It Could Protect Your Privacy Online, It Won't

Google is in a tough spot. The company says it is committed to protecting the privacy of its users, but it also built one of the most profitable businesses in the world around the idea that if you track what users do online, you can show them personalized ads based on their interests and activity. The real problem for Google is that not only is it the world's most popular search engine, it makes the world's most widely-used browser, Chrome. That gives the company an extraordinary amount of influence over how billions of people use the internet. Read more