Top News: 7-Eleven disables facial recognition tech, LinkedIn to shut down in China, and more

7-Eleven disables facial recognition technology after privacy commissioner’s ruling

Convenience store chain 7-Eleven has disabled the facial recognition technology employed on its in-store tablets used by customers to fill out surveys in Australia. The tablets were deployed in June 2020 and had collected up to 3.2 million facial images in over ten months. The privacy commissioner found the system interfered with the users’ privacy and ruled that “any benefits to the business in collecting this biometric information were not proportional to the impact on privacy.” Read More

Footballers allege GDPR violation by data firms

A group of 850 professional footballers is threatening legal action against data firms for the trading of their performance data against the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The players are seeking compensation, including an annual fee for any future use. The team argues that the fact players receive no compensation for the unlicensed use of their data is in violation of GDPR rules. Read More

LinkedIn to be shut down in China

Microsoft will be shutting down its local version of LinkedIn in China due to the challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements. The news comes after the company was asked by a Chinese internet regulator to better moderate its content and was given a 30-day deadline. LinkedIn was the last major US social network to be operating in China. Read More

ID scan technology at Alcanna stores violated PIPA

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OPIC) of Canada has found that an identification scanning program used at Alcanna’s liquor stores in Alberta violated the provincial privacy laws. It was found that the program collected and retained more information than allowed from customers' driver's licenses, in violation of Alberta's Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Act and the Personal Information Protection Act of Alberta (PIPA). Read More

TikTok settles class-action lawsuit

TikTok has settled a class-action lawsuit by agreeing to pay $92 million over alleged violations of Illinois' biometric privacy laws. The claims included that the app collected “highly sensitive personal data” to track users and target ads to them. The company has also agreed that it must disclose in its privacy policy whether it collects users' biometric information or GPS data and if it stores or transmits user data outside the US. Read More

Acer systems breached in India

Acer has confirmed a data breach that allowed hackers to access the company’s after-sales systems in India. The breach has been attributed to the Desorden Group that claimed to have obtained more than 3,000 login credentials of Acer retailers and distributors in India. The company stated that it is notifying all the potentially affected customers. Read More