Privacy newsletter - April 21, 2020

Welcome to the latest edition of the Privacy Insider Newsletter. Each week, we send you the latest and smartest news in the world of data privacy.

Here are the top stories from last week you might have missed:

1. Half of Americans decided not to use a product or service over privacy concerns in past year. Safeguarding privacy has traditionally been viewed as a cost center. Smart companies are beginning to change their outlook, as more than half of Americans have made consumption decisions based on concerns about how their data is handled. Products and services can drive more revenue by prioritizing privacy. Link
   
   
2. Could the loss of privacy from the pandemic prove beneficial in the long term? There has been much hand-wringing about the loss of privacy protections from the health crisis. One potential outcome from the pandemic could be a better set of laws governing privacy concerns. Shortcomings and gaps of existing laws have been exposed, which could give regulators a sufficient boost to pass more and better protections. This is an optimistic take from OpenGlobalRights, a human rights non-profit.
   
   
3. A survey of data controllers on their use of cookies show a lot of websites falling short. Only 2 of 38 websites were given full marks. Common shortcomings included failing to block certain cookies, offering no ‘opt-out’ options, and improper categorization (for instance, marking cookies as ‘strictly necessary’ when they aren’t). Too many companies are not using data privacy technology or failing to use it properly when they do. Link
   
   
4. Test and trace initiatives are being announced every day, all over the world. We covered test and trace announcements in the US last week, but they're happening everywhere. Links to examples in Denmark, Italy, and Australia.
   
   
5. Whistleblower protection still remains a gap in all existing state data privacy laws. States passing different forms of privacy legislation have proven to be a natural laboratory for prospective federal privacy legislation. This article illustrates that a lot more useful experiments could still be run. Link
6. Zoom is experiencing strange times. Their business and brand awareness are booming, yet so are the bad headlines. This week, a half million Zoom credentials were purchased on the dark web for a fifth of a penny each, or around $1,000 total. Link