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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ArticleFacebook facing 10th GDPR probe over data leak
The Irish Data Protection Commission has launched an inquiry into Facebook over concerns the social media giant may not have properly disclosed the full extent of its recent data leak.
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Facebook’s new leak: Assessing its liability under the GDPR
Old personal data of more than 533 million Facebook users was recently made publicly available on a hacker forum. Could the social media giant face a new investigation under the GDPR in response?
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Booking.com fined $557K under GDPR for reporting data breach late
Online reservation Website Booking.com has been fined €475,000 (U.S. $557,000) by the Dutch Data Protection Authority for reporting a data breach 22 days later than the 72 hours required under the GDPR.
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How might U.K. mandate for audit to find fraud work in practice?
Experts weigh in on the hurdles to be overcome and clarifications needed if U.K. auditors are going to be mandated to detect and prevent fraud as spelled out in new proposals.
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Local laws proving to be roadblocks for GDPR harmonization
Recent cases in Germany, France, and Austria underscore the difficulty of getting EU members on the same page regarding GDPR enforcement—particularly when other local laws take priority.
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U.K. government proposals spell out Big Four breakup, new audit responsibilities
The U.K. government has unveiled proposals designed to end the Big Four accounting firms’ dominance of the region’s audit market while also making companies and executives more directly accountable—and liable—for failures in corporate reporting.
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U.S., U.K. enforcement heads praise coordination in corruption cases
Daniel Kahn of the U.S. Department of Justice and Lisa Osofsky of the U.K. Serious Fraud Office discuss how enforcement agencies expect closer cooperation through 2021 in the global fight against bribery and corruption.
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Vodafone Spain fined record $9.72M for data protection failures
Vodafone Spain has been fined €8.15 million (U.S. $9.72 million) for aggressive telemarketing tactics and other data protection failures under the GDPR. The penalty is the highest the Spanish Data Protection Agency has handed out.
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GDPR fines by industry: Telecoms far outpace Big Tech
Since the GDPR came into force in 2018, Big Tech firms have not been on the receiving end of fines as frequently as expected. Meanwhile, other industries have shown to be more prone to data privacy violations, namely telecommunications.
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‘An invaluable asset’: Participants praise opportunity for feedback via GDPR sandboxes
Regulatory sandboxes launched by EU data protection authorities provide firms the opportunity to collaborate and make use of the regulator’s expertise to reduce GDPR compliance risks.
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GDPR dealt blow as German court drops $17.2M Deutsche Wohnen fine
A €14.5 million (U.S. $17.2 million) fine against Deutsche Wohnen has been dropped after a German court found under German law the company could not be held responsible for violating the GDPR unless blame could be attached to a specific individual or executive.
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Ireland GDPR report: Big fines coming soon for Big Tech?
Ireland’s data regulator has 27 ongoing cross-border inquiries into Big Tech firms, according to its latest annual report. It expects several cases to be resolved in the coming year.
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EDPS opinion puts targeted advertising in crosshairs
The EU’s chief data regulator says planned regulations to oversee the tech sector should be tightened further to ban targeted advertising based on tracking online activity—an opinion that could prompt Big Tech and adtech firms to lobby hard against the changes.
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Are CEOs really the best people to set the compliance example?
After a bad week for motivational leadership in the United Kingdom, experts expound on who should really set “tone from the top.”
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TikTok faces more backlash, now from EU consumer group
TikTok has come under the scrutiny of European consumer advocacy organization BEUC, which is urging authorities to put an end to the video sharing platform’s abuse of EU users’ rights—especially those of children.
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U.K.’s SFO slapped down over attempts to flout jurisdiction rules
In another blow to the agency’s credibility, the U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office cannot attempt to force foreign companies to hand over evidence held overseas, according to a recent court ruling.
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Europe handcuffed by current corporate liability laws; is change coming?
European countries have begun to question whether their laws around corporate liability need to be reformed. However, change may not be as rapid as first thought.
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Spain, Italy setting new standard for GDPR enforcement
While big fines against big companies make headlines, Spain and Italy have flown under the radar as two of the most frequent enforcers of the GDPR, instead primarily focusing on smaller penalties. Might other countries follow suit?
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Norwegian DPA warns Grindr of $11.7M GDPR fine
Norway’s data privacy watchdog issued gay dating app Grindr with a notice of intention to fine it NOK 100 million (U.S. $11.7 million) for sharing personal data with third parties without users’ consent.
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Spanish DPA fines CaixaBank record $7.3M under GDPR
Spain’s data protection authority recently fined CaixaBank €6 million (U.S. $7.3 million) for misuse of customer data, the largest GDPR fine the country has handed out.
