Personal Data

US bans use of WeChat from Sunday; similar prohibition on TikTok from November

The US government said its order, previously announced by Donald Trump in August, will combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data

Twitter is now notifying users that it will be sharing more data with advertisers

For all users, except the ones in Europe, the data is shared by default and there is no option to turn it off.

Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 is out; law raises questions on govt provisions which hint at unfettered access to data

The bill is listed for introduction in the Parliament’s Winter Session, which is set to conclude on 13 December.

Personal Data Protection Bill: Government to protect your private data, but not from itself

The bill will apparently allow the governments to analyse personal data when required and if necessary.

E-retailers cannot influence prices of goods on platform; must adhere to fair trade practices: Draft guidelines

The Consumer Affairs Ministry has issued draft 'The Consumer Protection (e-Commerce) Rules, 2019 and sought comments on the same by 2 December

Microsoft says its contractors listen to Skype conversations only with permission

This comes after Apple revealed it had a Siri grading program, in which people listen to snippets of conversations.

Hundreds of Android apps are collecting user data even after being denied permission

These apps take personal data from sources like Wi-Fi connections and metadata stored in photos.

Irish regulator opens first privacy probe into Google over handling of personal data

The probe comes after complaints that Google is playing fast and loose with people's data.

Millions of people are still using passwords like '123456' or 'qwerty': Study

Top of the list was 123456, appearing in more than 23 million passwords.

Russia opens civil proceedings against Facebook, Twitter over local data laws

Facebook and Twitter have apparently failed to explain how they plan to comply with local data laws.