Google buys Fitbit for $2.1bn (but vows not to use health data for ads)
Google has bought fitness device maker Fitbit for $2.1bn (£1.6bn), but the tech giant is seeking to calm fears by insisting health data will not be used for Google ads.
Privacy
Facebook agrees to pay £500k fine over political data scandal
Facebook has agreed to pay a £500,000 fine imposed by the UK’s data protection watchdog for its role in the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
Most marketers ‘failing to link data to customer behaviour’ – report
As brands begin planning marketing budgets and strategies for 2020, research reveals that the majority are failing to effectively use data and understand consumer behaviour, resulting in wasted marketing spend, according to new research.
GDPR update: Pre-ticked cookie consent forms banned
A new European court ruling has banned pre-ticked cookie consent forms under GDPR rules.
Right to reply: What Google’s ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ victory means for tech and privacy
This week, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that “right to be forgotten” does not extend to the versions of Google’s search engine directed to non-EU member states. Ron Moscona, a partner at the international law firm Dorsey & Whitney, looks at the implications for the digital industry.
Right to be forgotten: Google wins court battle to keep it EU-only
Google will not have to adhere to a ‘right to be forgotten’ law outside Europe, according to a new ruling in court this week.
UK PM’s plans ‘to collect data on gov.uk users’ sparks investigation
The UK Prime Minister has reportedly asked civil servants to collect “targeted and personalised” data on users of the government website, sparking an investigation from the UK communications watchdog.
Brits increasingly prefer bots to humans for customer service
The research, from Capgemini Research Institute, quizzed over 12,000 consumers and 1,000 business executives. The study, entitled Smart Talk: How organizations and consumers are embracing voice and chat assistants, also found that there is an increasing pace of change over the past 12 – 24 months, 40% of those now using voice assistants have started … [Read more…]
Facebook halts facial recognition by default to tag photos
Facebook will stop using facial recognition technology to automatically tag people in photos unless the user has opted in.