Neil Hodge
Neil Hodge is a freelance business journalist and photographer based in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He writes on insurance and risk management, corporate governance, internal audit, compliance, and legal issues for a wide range of publications in the United Kingdom and United States.
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ArticleStandard Chartered fined $24.9M for Ukraine sanctions breaches
The U.K. Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation hit Standard Chartered Bank for a record fine relating to loans the bank made to Russian financial institutions in violation of the EU’s sanction regime.
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8 compliance challenges facing European companies in coronavirus crisis
Due diligence, data, solvency, and supply chain management risks are just some of the issues Europe’s employers are struggling with as normal business has come to a standstill during the coronavirus pandemic.
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Confusion around GDPR during coronavirus prompts EDPB response
The European Data Protection Board has released a statement attempting to clarify how personal data can be processed by companies during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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Study: Fear of data breaches stifling bank innovation
Research by consultancy firm Accenture shows companies in financial services are more concerned with guarding themselves against the impact of a data breach than realizing any financial benefits of using the data.
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Advice for European compliance officers dealing with coronavirus
Although the coronavirus situation is constantly changing, lawyers say there are several areas of corporate life that are going to test compliance officers and which management will need greater assurance on.
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Swedish watchdog fines Google $7.6M for GDPR non-compliance
Google has received its second fine to date for violating Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation; Sweden’s Data Protection Authority fined the internet giant 75 million Swedish Kroner (U.S. $7.6 million).
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U.K.’s ICO fines Cathay Pacific for pre-GDPR breach
The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office has fined airline Cathay Pacific £500,000 (U.S. $643,000) for failing to protect the personal data of millions of customers.
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FRC sends letter to Big Four outlining ‘operational separation’
The U.K. Financial Reporting Council penned a letter to the Big Four outlining expectations for how the auditors should go about separating their audit work from their consultancy business.
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Proposed EU data strategy spells big changes for Big Tech
The European Commission unveiled its long-awaited plans about how it wants to regulate artificial intelligence as well as promote greater data sharing throughout the EU to stimulate further growth and competition in digital services.
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Ireland GDPR caseload nearly doubled in 2019
The Irish Data Protection Commission received 7,215 complaints during the first full year the General Data Protection Regulation was in force, representing a 75 percent increase on 2018’s figures of just over 4,000.
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Airbus contractors feeling ripple effect from record fine
Airbus is free to go about its business after paying a record fine to three anti-corruption agencies for widespread bribery, but the trouble is only beginning for some of its implicated contractors.
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Experts weigh in on Brexit consequences for GDPR, AML, more
The wheels to the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union are finally in motion, but the hard work still remains as to what kind of future trading relationship the country has with the single market.
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Ireland probing Google, Tinder for GDPR violations
Ireland’s data regulator has announced new investigations into Google and MTCH Technology Services—the company behind dating app Tinder—over complaints users’ personal data is being misused in violation of the GDPR.
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Germany’s dual approach to data regulation under the GDPR
Germany is staying ahead of the game with an advanced crackdown on data privacy and competition law violations.
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Airbus resolves global bribery scandal for record $4B
Airbus has agreed to pay a total of $4 billion in penalties split between the United States, United Kingdom, and France—the world’s largest global resolution for bribery.
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SFO guidance could help companies combat U.K. Bribery Act charges
New internal guidance from the U.K. Serious Fraud Office outlines what the regulator considers in determining if a company’s compliance procedures are adequate enough to defend against U.K. Bribery Act charges or qualify for a deferred prosecution agreement.
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Study expects GDPR fines to rise in 2020
DLA Piper’s latest data breach survey suggests the penalties handed out under the General Data Protection Regulation thus far are not as harsh as they could have been—though that could change in 2020.
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App firms, adtech industry in firing line over possible GDPR violations
The Norwegian Consumer Council, a consumer rights champion, has uncovered a serious no-no in the world of GDPR: popular apps sharing user data, such as religious beliefs and sexual preferences, to advertising and marketing firms in order to drive their own revenue.
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Cyber-threats, regulatory change highlight top-10 risks study
Cyber-incidents, business interruption, and changes in legislation and regulation are the three biggest risks to companies globally, according to research by German insurer Allianz.
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Germany hits pesticides wholesalers with large fines
Seven pesticide wholesalers have been fined a total of €155 million (U.S. $173 million) for operating a 17-year price-fixing cartel.
