On 2 January 2024, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners said that police were investigating a virtual sexual assault of a girl's avatar:
Police investigate virtual sex assault on girl's avatar - BBC News
On 2 January 2024, there was a focus on Facebook’s new ‘Link History’ setting to collect data for targeted ads.
Meet ‘Link History,’ Facebook’s New Way to Track the Websites You Visit (gizmodo.com)
On 4 January, the IAPP focused on a case study where the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) held a controller liable for processing carried out by its processor:
The CJEU rules on the liability of controllers (iapp.org)
On 12 January, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office fined food delivery company Hello Fresh £140,000 for sending millions of spam texts and emails to customers:
HelloFresh fined over millions of spam texts and emails - BBC News
On 12 January, the Financial Times reported on the rift over crypto exposed after the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s landmark approval or the first ever spot bitcoin exchange traded funds:
SEC’s bitcoin ETF sign-off comes with a stark reminder of its lingering doubts (ft.com)
On 17 January, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a scientific consensus on the impact of screens on children at what age and what rules to follow so he can decide what further restrictions to place on their use in school. Aside from distraction from learning, the argument taking form in France is that restrictions on screens in school are needed to fight fake news and misinformation, as well as cyberbullying:
Macron vows to ‘take back control’ of youth screen use to fight disinformation – Euractiv Macron vows to ‘take back control’ of youth screen use to fight disinformation – Euractiv
On 18 January, the Guardian reported on fears expressed by parents working for tech companies about the industry: ‘
Fundamentally against their safety’: the social media insiders fearing for their kids | Children | The Guardian
On 19 January, Fujitsu Europe Director issues an apology to post office operators and their families for “an appalling miscarriage of justice”:
'Shameful and appalling': Fujitsu boss apologises for Horizon failings – video | UK news | The Guardian
On 19 January, EDPB publishes final report into last year’s coordinated enforcement activity around DPOs.
Coordinated Enforcement Action, Designation and Position of Data Protection Officers | European Data Protection Board (europa.eu)
On 23 January, the Covid inquiry heard that Scotland’s chief medical officer told colleagues to delete WhatsApp messages “at the end of every day” during the pandemic:
Chief medical officer told colleagues to delete WhatsApps ‘at end of every day’ (msn.com)
On 25 January, the BBC reported on comments by Sir Tony Blair and Lord Hague suggesting that the NHS should sell anonymised medical records to harness a new biotechnology "industrial revolution". The former Labour PM and ex Tory leader said the NHS' wealth of data could give the UK an advantage in new technologies shaping the future economy:
NHS data sale can fuel tech boom - Blair and Hague - BBC News
On 26 January, Guernsey Police issued a warning to parents to monitor their children’s social media accounts amid concerns about the content being shared:
Snapchat group exposing children to 'harmful content' in Guernsey - BBC News
On 28 January, the BBC reported on the deepfake images being circulated of US singer Taylor Swift, prompting calls for tougher legislation in the US to tackle the issue:
Taylor Swift deepfakes spark calls in Congress for new legislation - BBC News
On 31 January, the BBC reports on Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg’s apology to families who say their children have been harmed by social media.
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg apologises to families in fiery US Senate hearing - BBC News
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