News
The Canadian Federal Court of Appeal has confirmed that Canadian citizens have the “right to be forgotten” online. In a 2017 case, a man complained that Google violated Canada’s privacy law by displaying outdated and sensitive information about him in search results. The court ruled that Canada’s privacy law applies to Google when indexing web pages and displaying search results linked to individuals’ names.
The Supreme Court has granted cert in cases related to social media censorship laws originating from Texas and Florida. These cases will examine whether such laws raise First Amendment concerns.
In the context of the antitrust proceedings against Google, the CEO of Microsoft provided testimony in Washington, D.C., underscoring the competitive challenges his company encounters due to Google’s significant market dominance.
In connection with the Google antitrust proceedings, it was revealed during a testimony that Google modifies the search terms entered by users to generate results that are more commercially oriented.
Meta Platforms is considering introducing ad-free subscription plans for European users, with a 10 euro per month option being the most likely. This move is driven by the need to adhere to European Union regulations that restrict personalized ads without user consent, which could impact Meta’s primary revenue source. Additionally, for mobile users, the cost may increase to approximately 13 euros due to commissions from Apple’s and Google’s app stores.
China appears to be undergoing a significant shift in its approach to data flow regulation, moving away from the previous practice of conducting security assessments on a case-by-case basis. As a result of this change, numerous businesses will no longer be subject to stringent data transfer restrictions.
Recently the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, the PCLOB, released a report on Section 702 of FISA regarding suggested reforms as Congress considers reauthorizing it. The report proposes several key measures, including the necessity for the government to obtain individualized judicial authorization prior to conducting searches on private communications. It also suggests the establishment of clearly defined surveillance objectives deemed lawful, prohibiting the NSA from reinstating data collection without Congressional approval, and implementing an array of privacy oversight and transparency initiatives for assessment reports.
Events
On Weds., Oct. 11, Professor Angela Zhang will present “The Paradox of Chinese AI Regulation: Too Little and Too Much?”, a talk about China’s AI governance regulations and strategies. Professor Benedict Kingsbury will moderate. The event will take place from 5:00 to 6:30pm EST at NYU’s Vanderbilt Hall in Room 216, with a Zoom link available for remote attendees. Professor Zhang’s second book, “High Wire: How China Regulates Big Tech and Governs Its Economy,” is set to be released in Spring 2024.
ILI is hosting on children’s online privacy and the new regulation that’s happening in that area.
(Compiled by Student Fellow Inbar Cohen)