Welcome, data privacy peeps! It’s a big news month, so let’s get straight to the headlines.
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What’s new in privacy?
Below are some of the most notable news in privacy from this month:
Florida Attorney General files civil enforcement action against Roku under the Florida Bill of Rights. The lawsuit claims that the company obtained children’s data illegally, processed sensitive data without consent, and sold sensitive personal data without consent. Read more here.
Tractor Supply fined $1.35 million in privacy settlement. The settlement, obtained by the California Privacy Protection Agency, found that the company failed to provide a mechanism to opt out of the selling and sharing of personal information, have the required Privacy Policy disclosures, and appropriate contractual protections when disclosing personal information to third parties. Learn more here.
Judge advances privacy class action lawsuit against LinkedIn. A Judge refused to dismiss a class action lawsuit against LinkedIn that claims that personal data was shared via video content platforms without their permission. The Judge refused dismissal, finding that LinkedIn’s argument that no privacy violation occurred because no one would have been able to sift through the amount of data that was shared was unpersuasive. Read more here.
Apple’s Siri under criminal investigation in France for privacy violations. The complaint, filed by a human rights group, alleges that Apple recorded and analyzed Siri conversations without consent. Learn more here.
Maryland Online Data Privacy Act of 2024 goes into effect. MODPA went into effect on October 1, requiring certain businesses to provide a comprehensive, up to date Privacy Policy and providing privacy rights to residents of Maryland. Read our Compliance Guide here.
Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act changes go into effect. On October 1, changes to the Montana Consumer Data Privacy Act went into effect. The changes lowered the thresholds on the number of individuals whose data a business must process for the privacy law to apply to them. Read our Compliance Guide here.
Meta lays off 600 AI jobs, including 100 reviewing user privacy. The 100 privacy-related employees worked in its risk review organisation, including employees that were responsible for ensuring Meta products comply with an agreement with the FTC and adhere to privacy regulations. Read more here.
Apple Maps to implement search ads in 2026. Apple is reportedly preparing to launch search advertisements within Apple Maps in 2026, basing those ads on AI targeting, searches and location-based relevance. Critics are stating that this move could jeopardize Apple’s reputation as a privacy friendly provider. Learn more here.
Complaint questioning the independence of the Irish Data Protection Commission sent to Commission. The complaint filed by the Human Rights NGO, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, alleges that Niamh Sweeney, a third commissioner in the Irish Data Protection Commission, lacks the requisite independence. The complaint stems from the fact that Sweeney is an ex-Meta lobbyist. Read more here.
WhatsApp testing feature that will hide phone numbers. With this new feature, users will be able to rely on a username on WhatsApp and hide their personal phone numbers from contacts. Read more here.
What privacy bills are we tracking?
- Illinois – IL SB52;
- Illinois – IL HB3041;
- Maine – ME HB710/HB1088;
- Maine – ME HB1220;
- Massachusetts – MA SB33;
- Massachusetts – MA HB104;
- Massachusetts – MA SB2608;
- Massachusetts – MA SB2619;
- New York – NY S4276;
- New York – NY AB5827;
- New York – NY AB974;
- New York – NY AB4947;
- North Carolina – NC – HB462;
- North Carolina – NC – SB757;
- Pennsylvania – PA HB78;
- Pennsylvania – PA SB112
Events
Here are some great virtual events that you can attend to learn more about the hottest issues in privacy and meet other privacy professionals:
- US vs. Mexico Cybersecurity and Privacy: Threats, Law and Incident Response – November 4;
- Neurotechnologies under the EU AI Act – November 18;
- Privacy in the Age of Crypto: Legal and Cybersecurity Imperatives – November 21.
Before you go!
This month, we interviewed attorney Sara Vig on Privacy Lawls. You can listen to the episode where we discuss privacy issues regarding automated license plate readers, the audit of Flock, Inc., and how to strike a balance between surveillance and security here.
