What is data privacy, really, and what tools are required for it? by Ernest Martinez via @infomgmt

Data privacy requirements necessitate not only identifying the location and nature of impacted data, but also the flow and transformation that it takes throughout the application landscape.

A great explanation and worth a read just to make sure you really understand the topic.

Google denies it’s using private health data for AI research by Gerrit De Vynck via @infomgmt

Google’s deal with Ascension has been under scrutiny since the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday the company was collecting identifiable data on millions of patients and using it to build new products.

Interesting. I'm sure there is a data privacy issue there, although how would you know they have been using your data??

As FTC cracks down, data ethics is now a strategic business weapon by Daniel Wu via @TechCrunch

Five billion dollars may not be much for a behemoth like Facebook, but it’s still the largest amount the Federal Trade Commission has ever levied for violating data privacy. With the FTC cracking down, many companies are taking a new look at their privacy protections.

This is a well thought out article that makes some very good points. I certainly think very hard about sharing any of my own personal data and don't trust Facebook as far as I could throw them (nowhere).

9 top trends that are driving AI and software investments by Laurent Bride via @infomgmt

IT and data leaders are constantly challenged to keep up with new trends in emerging and disruptive technologies and to determine how each can best aid the organization.

Definitely, something to review your strategy and training plans against when preparing for the future.

Your Apps Know Where You Were Last Night, and They’re Not Keeping It Secret by various authors via @nytimes

Smartphone location data is being sold. It’s supposed to be anonymous, but the data shows how personal it is.

This is scary and could well be something to be cautious with - maybe a time to revisit app permissions on your mobile?

Understanding the new ePrivacy Regulation and how it differs from GDPR by Christian Auty via @infomgmt

The ePR is expected to address electronic communications, including text messages, email, chat applications and IoT devices. Think of the ePR as the traffic cop for data as it travels between controllers and processors governed by GDPR.

This is an insightful article by Christian that I think is a good high level analysis of the differences between the two.

If you thought GDPR was bad – Just wait for ePrivacy Regulation by Lisa Loftis via @infomgmt

Regulators developed ePR because the volume and complexity of digital data are increasing exponentially and the environment for generating, storing and consuming it can be quite different from more traditional formats.

I like this explanation although as the author states it is still being negotiated at the moment. I'm sure the recent Facebook data problem has given many a clearer perspective on the need for some form of standard and documentation.

For SMBs, GDPR could be the best thing that ever happened to data by Kris Lahiri via @infomgmt

New regulatory compliance helps businesses retain users, promotes company innovation and provides an opportunity to overhaul obsolete systems, making them more efficient and driving long term growth.

I have to admit I never really thought to the same depth as Kris has because I was more fixated on the cost that SMB would have to bear without much in the way of benefits to make it a more worthwhile exercise. So this article is good for remind us of the advantages SMBs will get from GDPR compliance.

Facebook said to have shared user data with select companies by David Weldon via @infomgmt

Some of these agreements were reportedly known as 'whitelists,' and enabled those firms to access information about a Facebook user’s friends.

It seems to me that this entire situation is just getting worse and worse.

How will the GDPR impact machine learning? by Andrew Burt via @OReillyMedia

Answers to the three most commonly asked questions about maintaining GDPR-compliant machine learning programs.

This article is very clear and easy to understand. I think it explains answers to a few key questions in a clear and concise manner with a good level of detail.

Thanks to Facebook, expect GDPR to spread beyond the EU by Lisa Loftis via @InfoMgmt

The strong and immediate reaction to this data misuse incident should serve as a warning shot for all companies collecting and using consumer personal data.

I agree with this article - the GDPR legislation doesn't seem that difficult now if you want to preserve your reputation and survive going forward.  This Facebook disaster should serve as a lesson to other companies as to what could happen to them if they are not careful.

Even This Data Guru Is Creeped Out By What Anonymous Location Data Reveals About Us by DJ Pangburn via @FastCompany

Using code and the web, a data scientist follows two unnamed people and learns just how much our anonymous location data can say about who we are.

Scary. There is some advice on settings at the end that you should read.

Cars Suck Up Data About You. Where Does It All Go? by John R Quain via @nytimes

Cars have become rolling listening posts. They can track phone calls and texts, log queries to websites, record what radio stations you listen to - even follow you and tell when you are breaking the law by exceeding the speed limit.

Something that we see to have accepted as normal but do we really know what happens to the data and how it is used?  I think this is a question that needs to be investigated further.  We are used to ticking boxes and giving explicit permission for our data to be shared and used - how is that done (if it actually is) for our cars in this increasingly connected world?

Google now knows when its users go to the store and buy stuff by @lizzadwoskin and @craigtimberg via @washingtonpost

You see an ad online. You go into a brick-and-mortar store and buy the item advertised. But the advertisers have no way of tracking your in-person purchases. At least, until now. "Google will begin using data from billions of credit and debit card transactions—including card numbers, purchase amounts and time stamps—to solve the advertising juggernaut's long-standing quest to prove that online ads prompt consumers to make purchases in brick-and-mortar stores, the company said."

Interesting.  I can see so many privacy holes and risks in this.

Vast majority of firms fear impact of GDPR non-compliance by David Weldon via @infomgmt

The measure goes into effect in 2018 and global corporations are concerned they're not ready to meet the new EU data management and retention regulation's requirements.

The cock is ticking and this needs to be ready.

The subtleties of data sovereignty by Andrew White via @infomgmt

Determining sovereignty includes where the data was formed, where it is stored, and where an inquiry is being undertaken from, says Andrew White.

This is an absolute minefield.  Having worked for a global company which has it's headquarters and data centre in the US, but working in an office in the UK I can understand some of the subtleties of the various rules and regulations. It's not even just about the sovereignty - it's also other areas around it too like different legal requirements for data retention and the different levels of privacy for different countries/regions too.

Did Alexa hear a murder? We may finally find out by @dmkravets via arstechnica

Arkansas authorities requested data from Alexa Voice Service that they say might be evidence in a murder prosecution. Amazon refused, claiming that the data was protected by the First Amendment. Had it gone to court, precedent-setting decisions about IoT data privacy might have been made, but the defendant has agreed to allow Amazon to release the data, presumably answering the question "Is Alexa a witness to murder?" but leaving open the more complex legal questions about AI and privacy.

I found this very interesting and hadn't really thought about all the legal implications this case is suggesting.

A Dead Simple Tool To Find Out What Facebook Knows About You by Katharine Schwab via @FastCoDesign

Facebook builds complex profiles of each of its users so it can offer data points to advertisers for targeting ads. Some data points are obvious, like your age and interests, but many may surprise you. This free tool reveals the unsettling amount of information Facebook tries to deduce about you.

Wow - just wow.

The “Right To Be Forgotten” to Be Realized In the Coming GDPR! by Christer Jansson via @infomgmt

The GDPR is designed to harmonise data privacy laws across Europe, to ensure privacy protection to all EU citizens and to reshape the way organisations will approach fraud, cyber security, and data privacy.

This looks really interesting and needed.

Everything Must Go: What Happens to Data After a Business Closes? by Richard Stiennon via @infomgmt

When closing the doors for good - whether it’s for strategic, economic or other reasons - auctioning off IP is just one direction that valuable company data can head in.

I guess I had never thought to stop and think about what has happened to my data when a store shuts down for whatever reason.  You trust it to be handed correctly but do you really know what has happened to it and how safe it is?