Box-fresh? Sandboxes go global November 4, 2020 What image does the word ‘sandbox’ conjure up for you? For most people, the answer is likely to be kindergartens, buckets and sandcastles. But for financial services innovators, sandboxes have a different meaning – and, for some projects, pivotal importance. For organisations looking to launch a product that needs a regulatory licence, a sandbox is [...]
Marriott International fined £18.4m over customer data breach October 30, 2020 Marriott International has been handed an £18.4m fine by the UK data watchdog over a data breach that compromised the personal details of millions of customers. The fine relates to an attack on the Starwood hotels chain that exposed records belonging to 339m guests worldwide. The cyber attack began in 2014, before Marriott took over [...]
Facebook sued over Cambridge Analytica data scandal October 28, 2020 Facebook is being sued over its misuse of data during the Cambridge Analytica breach, opening the social media firm up to further fines for its role in the scandal. A group action lawsuit representing 1m users in England and Wales was filed today to gain “redress and compensation for the persistent mass misuse of personal [...]
Experian clashes with watchdog over personal data use October 27, 2020 Experian has clashed with the UK data watchdog over an order requiring the credit reference agency to make fundamental changes to the way it handles customer data. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) today published the findings of a two-year investigation into Experian, Equifax and Transunion over how they use personal data for direct marketing purposes. [...]
Alex Cruz: Five days to forget for the outbound British Airways boss October 12, 2020 The travel world awoke to a shock this morning as it was announced that British Airways boss Alex Cruz would leave the firm with immediate effect. He departs with aviation mired in the deepest crisis in its history, with passenger numbers still at historic lows due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decision is the first [...]
Cambridge Analytica did not misuse data to influence Brexit, watchdog rules October 7, 2020 Disgraced political consultancy Cambridge Analytica did not misuse data to try and influence the outcome of the 2016 Brexit referendum, a major probe has concluded. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has spent three years investigating the use of personal data in political campaigning by the now defunct SCL Elections — the parent company of Cambridge [...]
Let’s hope tough new rules on children’s online data collection deliver, and give parents peace of mind September 8, 2020 From today, our children’s online privacy is protected by default. Literally. New rules will force companies to give children and young people automatic specific privacy protections. That’s 76 days, according to research, that neither you or they have to spend reading all those terms and conditions. Thankfully, from now on, the so-called Age Appropriate Design [...]
Marriott International hit with London lawsuit over huge data breach August 19, 2020 Hotel group Marriott International is facing legal action in London over a huge data breach that compromised the personal details of roughly 393m guests. Martin Bryant, who runs a tech and media consultancy firm, has filed a collective action in the High Court on behalf of millions of guests from England and Wales who were [...]
Covid-19 threatens to set UK data protection back a generation August 14, 2020 There’s another crisis brewing. Millions of businesses across the UK have quickly adapted to the Covid-19 environment. While some companies have adopted technology to handle customer data collection, many have turned to more tried-and-tested track and trace systems — namely, good old-fashioned pen and paper. The hospitality industry, and especially pubs and bars, have had [...]
Barclays probed by privacy watchdog over reports of spying on staff August 9, 2020 Barclays is being investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) following accusations that it spied on its staff. The UK’s data and privacy watchdog said a formal probe is ongoing, but could not say when it may conclude. It follows a report by City A.M. earlier this year that Barclays was piloting a system which [...]