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Marriott faces $123 million UK fine over data breach
Marriott might soon face a stiff penalty for the massive November 2018 data breach. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office plans to fine the hotel chain £99,200,396 (about $123.7 million) for allegedly violating the EU's General Data Protection Regulation through the incident. Marriott didn't conduct "sufficient due diligence" when it bought Starwood, according to the regulator, and "should also have done more" to improve security.
UK regulator to hit British Airways with record fine over 2018 hack
The UK's data privacy authority has announced it intends to levy its largest ever fine against airline British Airways (BA). The airline will have to pay £183.39 million ($230 million) to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for failing to protect its customers' data.
Google appeals $1.7 billion EU fine over restrictive ad contracts
As was expected, Google is appealing a €1.49 billion ($1.7 billion) fine laid against it by the European Commission related to its AdSense advertising business. Antitrust officials found that, in contracts with major sites between 2006 and 2016, Google included restrictive contracts that could be seen as it trying to muscle rivals out of the market.
Facebook's FTC punishment could involve 20 years of oversight
Facebook and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are edging closer to negotiating the tech giant's multibillion dollar penalty for security failures. Reuters reports that the deal "could be a month away" and could put the company under 20 years of privacy oversight.
Facebook reportedly invites federal oversight of its privacy practices
During Facebook's F8 keynote this week, the company repeatedly hammered one idea: the future is private. While its privacy-focus might be flawed, it looks like Facebook is putting its money where its mouth is. According to The Washington Post, the company told the US government it's open to greater oversight of its data-collection practices, in exchange for ending a federal probe into a series of privacy flops that surfaced last year.
Facebook’s FTC fine could cost it between $3 and $5 billion
Although Facebook's growth has slowed down over the past year, all the controversies it has faced in recent months haven't had an effect on its bottom line. But that may be changing. Today, during its Q1 2019 earnings report, Facebook reported a total revenue of $15.1 billion, a 26 percent year-over-year increase. The most interesting part, however, is that Facebook says it estimates spending between $3 and $5 billion as part of an ongoing investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) into its data-sharing practices.
EU fines Google $1.7 billion for 'abusive' advertising practices
The European Commission has fined google €1.49 billion ($1.69 billion) over what it calls "abusive practices in online advertising." That's on top of the $5 billion and $2.4 billion fines it slapped on the search giant in 2018 and 2017. Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Google "shielded itself from competitive pressure" via exclusive advertising contracts with publishers. Google did this mainly through its AdSense service, which dominated 70 percent of the market in Europe over a 10 year period.
Facebook reportedly negotiating multibillion dollar fine with FTC
Facebook is reportedly facing a record-breaking fine for its recent privacy lapses. According to the Washington Post, the social networking giant is negotiating an agreement with the Federal Trade Commission that would result in a multibillion penalty for security failures including the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
France fines Google $57 million over data transparency
The European Union's GDPR is relatively young, but Google is already in hot water over claimed violations. France's CNIL regulator has fined Google €50 million (about $57 million) for allegedly failing to provide transparent, "easily accessible" data consent policies. Google reportedly made it hard to learn about and control how it used personal data, including for targeted ads. It can sometimes take "5 or 6 actions" before you know what Google is doing, CNIL said, and the company spread ad targeting information across "several documents."
Facebook might be facing a hefty fine from the FTC
Since reports revealed last March that Facebook had allowed Cambridge Analytica to access the personal information of 87 million of its users, there's been a fair amount of fallout. CEO Mark Zuckerberg was questioned during multiple Congressional hearings, more stringent privacy bills have been proposed and adopted, and comprehensive privacy regulations have at least been considered. But so far, not a lot has happened to Facebook itself, though that might be about to change.
Cambridge Analytica parent company fined for violating UK data law
SCL Elections, the parent company of Cambridge Analytica, pleaded guilty in UK court to violating the Data Protection Act after it failed to comply with a request for information submitted by a citizen and backed by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The company was fined a paltry £15,000 for the violation, according to a report from The Guardian.
Swarm to pay $900,000 for unauthorized satellite launch
The FCC announced today that it had reached a settlement with Swarm over the startup's unauthorized satellite launch in 2017. The trouble started in December of last year when the FCC denied Swarm a licence to launch a set of small satellites called SpaceBEEs, with the commission claiming the satellites were too small to be reliably tracked. But Swarm launched them anyway in January and once the FCC got wind, it initiated an investigation. The settlement requires Swarm to pay a $900,000 penalty and submit to extended FCC oversight over the next few years.
Russia may fine Google for failing to remove banned websites
Russia's internet watchdog, Roskomnadzor, is looking to fine Google for failing to remove banned websites from its search results. The agency has filed charges against the company and Google could face a fine of up to RUB 700,000 ($10,450) if it's found to be in violation of Russia's laws. The regulator is also seeking to have Google join a state registry that lists websites banned by the country.
Facebook fined £500k in the UK for Cambridge Analytica scandal
The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has upheld its £500,000 ($645,000) fine for Facebook for the social network's involvement in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. ICO's investigations found that between 2007 and 2014, Facebook processed the personal information of users unfairly by allowing application developers access to their data "without sufficiently clear and informed consent". It also found that Facebook failed to make suitable checks on the apps and developers using its platform.
Yahoo agrees to pay $50 million to data breach victims
Yahoo will have to cough up $50 million in damages as part of a settlement following massive data breaches that took place in 2013 and 2014. The first breach affected three billion accounts, while the second affected 500 million accounts -- neither were disclosed until 2016. Hacked information included passwords that were encrypted but could be cracked.
Apple and Samsung fined in Italy for throttling phone performance
Apple found itself in some hot water last year when it was discovered that the company was throttling the performance of older phones. But it look like its Batterygate woes aren't quite over. Italy is fining Apple and Samsung 5 million euros each for intentionally slowing down phones. According to Reuters, Apple was slapped with an additional 5 million euro fine for failing to provide customers information on maintaining and replacing batteries.
Google appeals its $5 billion EU antitrust fine
In July, the European Commission fined Google a record-setting €4.3 billion ($5 billion) for antitrust violations regarding its Android OS. Now, Google's pushing back on that fine. "We have now filed our appeal of the EC's Android decision at the General Court of the EU," the company told Reuters. Google said back in July that it planned to pursue an appeal and it argued at the time that its product has given consumers more choice, not less, like the EC has claimed. "Android has created more choice for everyone, not less. A vibrant ecosystem, rapid innovation and lower prices are classic hallmarks of robust competition," it said.
FCC seeks $37.5 million fine on firm that spoofed consumer numbers
The FCC is looking to fine an Arizona-based company $37.5 million for making spoofed telemarketing calls. The company, Affordable Enterprises of Arizona, made more than 2.3 million calls over the course of 14 months, often masking its own number with those of consumers in the area. The FCC says this is the first major action taken against a company involved in such a practice. While the commission has issued robocall fines before, in those cases, the numbers spoofed were often ones not currently in use.
Equifax faces £500,000 fine in the UK over massive data breach
UK officials have slapped Equifax with a £500,000 (US$660,000) fine for failing to protect up to 15 million citizens' personal data. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has announced its verdict after almost a year-long investigation with the Financial Conduct Authority. Together, they looked into the massive Equifax breach that affected 146 million people around the world. Cybercriminals infiltrated the consumer credit reporting agency's systems by using an exploit on its website to gain access to people's names, addresses, birthdates, SSNs, as well as tax and driver's license information.
Ad-blocking browser Brave says Google is breaking EU privacy law
Ad-blocking browser Brave has hit Google and other adtech companies with a formal complaint that could set an important privacy precedent for search engines and digital advertising firms. Mozilla co-founder Brendan Eich and his company want to leverage the new GDPR rules to open an EU-wide investigation against these companies, examining the way the platforms are using people's data. According to Brave, Google and other adtech businesses are broadcasting users' browsing habits to hundreds of companies in order for them to place ads.
