UK death inquiries data lost in post
The UK's Ministry of Justice has revealed that discs containing information from three of the most sensitive inquiries have gone missing after being put in the post. The data relates to inquiries into the role of the police in the deaths of three civilians, including Mark Duggan, whose death sparked nationwide riots in 2011. It has not been confirmed whether the missing material includes personal information relating to witnesses in the cases. Officials said that there was no evidence that the loss was the result of "malicious intent" but one member of staff has been suspended.
ICO receives powers to audit NHS
The UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has been given the power to conduct mandatory audits of the UK's National Health Service (NHS). This comes after years of lobbying and serious non-compliance in this sector. To date the ICO has issued fines to NHS organisations amounting to GBP 1.3 million. In other good news for the ICO, following an investigation into Google's privacy policy, the ICO has successfully pressured the search engine to rewrite the policy. The new laws make it easier for users to find out how their data is collected and what it is used for.
Extent of German telecom spying revealed
It has been revealed that the German Intelligence Agency (BND) currently collects around 220 million pieces of metadata each day, far more than many suspected. It was also revealed that the BND provided "at least part" of the data they acquire to the US National Security Agency (NSA). This comes in the same week that the NSA has had its ability to collect and store telecommunications data limited. The NSA is now required to delete any data that does not meet one of six categories of intelligence and must delete data from non-US citizens that is not relevant to those six categories after five years.
Obama seeks USD 14 billion for cyber-security defences
President Obama's 2016 budget proposal, released this week, seeks USD 14 billion to boost cyber-security defences across the US government to better protect both federal and private networks from hacking threats. The budget calls for more intrusion detection, prevention capabilities, greater sharing of data with the private sector and other countries. The funding will also seek to improve the government's ability to respond to cyber-attacks.
USD 10 million misdirected after cyber-attack
Canada's Nautilus Minerals Inc. has reported that it was a victim of a cyber-attack, resulting in a USD 10 million deposit being paid into an unknown account. The sum was intended for Dubai-based Marine Assets Corporation as part of an agreement to charter a ship. Nautilus said it alerted police, who are investigating the incident, and has hired a cybersecurity firm to help with the probe.
Public debate for Brazil's data protection bill
The Brazilian government is initiating a public debate on the bill for the protection of private data. The bill will regulate how both public and private entities store personal electronic data concerning Brazilian citizens, "regardless of where the database is located". The aim of the bill is to curb the prevalent problem of companies trading personal information for commercial purposes.
Singapore publishes updated regulations on data protection regime
The Singapore Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) has published updated regulations governing the appeals process relating the country's Personal Data Protections Act, which entered into force last year. According to the updated regulations, a hearing for an appeal will not generally be held in public unless the Appeal Committee is satisfied that it is in the public interest to do so.
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