This is the ODPA's monthly round-up of data-related developments from around the world.
On 2 April 2024, the UK Government announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US to enable their respective AI Safety Institutes to align scientific approaches and work closely to accelerate evaluations for AI models, systems, and agents:
UK & United States announce partnership on science of AI safety - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
On 5 April 2024, a UK MP admitted giving the personal numbers of fellow MPs to someone he met on a dating app. Police are now investigating the incident:
Tory gave MPs' numbers to dating app contact, report says - BBC News
On 8 April 2024, UK politician Iain Duncan Smith warned that advances in biotechnology and artificial intelligence in China had created the potential for genetic data to be used for targeted bioweapons. “Worryingly, the Chinese Communist Party has already used genomic data to profile ethnic minorities whilst using human embryos for performance modification,” he wrote in an editorial for The Telegraph. (Paywall):
http:// http://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/1667/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/1667/pub/1667/page/68/article/NaN
On 12 April 2024, social media giant Meta was widely criticised in the media for its decision to lower minimum age to use WhatsApp from 16 to 13 in the UK and Europe:
Meta under fire for ‘tone deaf’ change on WhatsApp | The Independent
On 12 April 2024, the BBC warned that children under 10 were being added to malicious WhatsApp groups, exposing them to sexual images, racism and swearing:
Nine-year-olds added to malicious WhatsApp groups - BBC News
On 17 April 2024, the European Data Protection Board published an opinion piece off the back of its decision about Meta’s "Pay or Okay" in relation to large online platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, as first reported by
Politico. This decision prohibits Meta from using an unlawful consent request processing personal data:
Statement on EDPB "Pay or Okay" Opinion (noyb.eu)
On 18 April 2024, research carried out by the UK communication regulator Ofcom found that nearly a quarter of children aged 5-7 have smartphones:
A window into young children’s online worlds - Ofcom
On 22 April 2024, the BBC reported that Grindr, the world's biggest dating app for the LGBT community, is being sued for allegedly sharing personal information such as people's HIV status with third parties:
Grindr sued for allegedly revealing users' HIV status - BBC News
On 23 April 2024, the ODPA Commissioner’s comments at the Global Privacy Assembly in Washington last month were included in a report about an international initiative which Guernsey is part of to stop the unlawful automated scraping of people’s personal data from online platforms:
Meta, TikTok, other platforms coopearting with anti-scraping initiative, regulators say
On 29 April 2024, the Los Angeles Times wrote about the potential impact of a bipartisan bill , the American Privacy Rights Act (APRA):
Opinion: Americans might finally get a privacy law to fight Big Tech intrusions - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
On 29 April 2024, Politico reported on calls by activist Max Schrems for a probe into ChatGPT's 'hallucinations' amid concerns it breaches EU privacy rules:
http://ChatGPT’s hallucinations draw EU privacy complaint – POLITICO
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