ICANN is acting to boost the security of its systems and platforms, blogged CEO Goran Marby Wednesday as the organization was meeting in Barcelona (see 1810220002). The move is the result of a less-than-satisfactory third-party cybersecurity audit and several reports of systems issues, he said. Options under consideration are a "bug bounty" program to reward responsible reporters and hiring additional third-party experts, he wrote.
The FTC is seeking presentations on privacy and security topics at PrivacyCon June 27, the agency announced Wednesday. The agency is soliciting empirical research on IoT, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, consumer costs/benefits of privacy, security incentives for industry and evidence industry is able to provide proper privacy protections. Deadline for submissions is March 15.
The U.S. should follow Europe’s lead and implement a privacy law like the general data protection regulation, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Wednesday in Brussels. The world should celebrate implementation of the GDPR, which showed good policy and political will can “protect the rights of everyone,” he said at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners. He dismissed rivals’ claims that privacy legislation will stifle innovation, calling that argument “destructive.” The world will “never achieve technology's true potential without the full faith and confidence of the people who use it,” he said, citing a 2010 quote from former Apple CEO Steve Jobs: “Privacy means people know what they're signing up for, in plain language, and repeatedly.” Cook described a modern “data industrial complex,” in which personal data is weaponized against users with “military efficiency.”
Government should help industry demonstrate how artificial intelligence algorithms produce specific results by providing access to government data, Intel Global Privacy Officer David Hoffman and Global Director-Privacy Riccardo Masucci blogged Monday. New legislative efforts on AI technology should support the free flow of data, and increased automation shouldn't mean less privacy, they wrote.
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and FTC Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter will speak at the Georgetown Institute for Tech Law & Policy for an event Wednesday focused on the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. Panelists include Center for Digital Democracy Deputy Director Katharina Kopp, Software & Information Industry Association Director-Education Policy Sara Kloek, ACT|The App Association Executive Director Morgan Reed, Electronic Privacy Information Center Consumer Privacy Counsel Christine Bannan and Common Sense Media Policy Counsel Ariel Fox Johnson.
Communications, financial services and power sectors will soon expand their joint catastrophic cyber incident response plan across all “critical sectors” and eventually incorporate it into the Department of Homeland Security’s National Response Framework, CenturyLink Senior Director-National Security/Emergency Preparedness Kathryn Condello blogged Monday. Certain catastrophic events, like cyber-induced, sustained power outages, need joint resources, she said: “Everyone and everything are connected."
More than 40 civil and human rights groups Thursday will release recommended corporate policies and terms of service to combat hate speech on online platforms, the Center for American Progress announced Friday. CAP joined Color of Change, Free Press, the Southern Poverty Law Center and others in studying terrorism, human rights and tech issues the past year. The groups will convene at 11 a.m. Thursday at CAP.
A key takeaway from the FTC’s 2017 information injury workshop was that privacy incidents erode consumer trust, driving down the ability for platforms to collect consumer data, agency staff said Friday. Participants noted the risk of informational injury should be balanced with the value of data collected, staff wrote. Participants cited a handful of studies showing consumers say they care deeply about privacy, but their behavior doesn’t always support that claim. Examples included people offering friends’ personal information for slices of pizza. Other examples include people allowing their photos to be taken, offering the last four digits of their Social Security number and offering their fingerprints in exchange for cookies. Staff said consumer harm from privacy and security breaches include: medical identity theft, targeted release of personal data and erosion of trust.
NTIA Administrator David Redl urged stakeholders to communicate with the White House as it develops an artificial intelligence strategy. In Brussels Thursday, Redl cited the White House Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence’s comment solicitation. The effort will “ensure that U.S. R&D investments remain at the cutting edge,” Redl said. On NTIA's effort to develop privacy principles (see 1810120053), the goal should be to “provide high levels of consumer protection while giving business legal clarity and flexibility to innovate,” he said.
The FTC and various agencies announced the launch of a national education campaign to help small businesses combat cyberthreats. The campaign from the Department of Homeland Security, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Small Business Administration includes fact sheets, videos and quizzes.