Hello all, and happy Thursday!
This week, I’m pleased to announce the launch of our latest product–Osano Compliance Check!
There are a lot of vendors in the privacy solutions space who are all too happy to sell you a solution and then wish you good luck. They don’t care if that solution actually reduces your risk, if you implemented it correctly, if new regulatory changes render it non-compliant, or if it breaks down the line due to website changes.
The team at Osano doesn’t want to hand you tools and wish you luck; your actual, on-the-ground compliance matters to us. We get that you may not have the knowledge or time to audit your website or websites on the regular basis needed to ensure long-term compliance.
That’s why we released Compliance Check.
Compliance Check proactively scans your sites for things like dark patterns; privacy infrastructure; consent experiences; adherence to frameworks like GPC, IAB TCF, and Google Consent Mode; and more. If it detects a failed check, it gives you advice on how to address the problem and bring you back to a compliant state.
I’m very proud of this new product–it’s an expression of Osano’s overall mission to make compliance actually achievable. You can learn more about the new product in our blog, here.
Best,
Arlo
Highlights From OsanoProduct Launch: Introducing Osano Compliance Check: Automated Proof of Website Privacy Compliance
Privacy compliance doesn’t fail in theory; it fails in practice. Websites change constantly, regulations evolve, and enforcement is accelerating. Even teams with strong privacy programs can struggle to keep up with what their sites are actually doing in real-world conditions. That’s why we built Osano Compliance Check: an automated, recurring website scanner that verifies real-world privacy compliance.
Podcast: How CalPrivacy Balances Enforcement, Transparency, and Innovation
with Tom Kemp of the California Privacy Protection Agency
With California expanding enforcement, launching the DROP system, and signaling what comes next for automated decision-making and data brokers, privacy expectations for businesses are becoming clearer—and harder to ignore. We sat down with Tom Kemp, Executive Director of the California Privacy Protection Agency, to learn what’s next for the US’s only privacy enforcement agency.
Online Event: Navigating Identity in a Cookieless, Compliant World
Attending MarTech this year? Osano’s Senior Vice President of Product, Amar Ramakrishnan, will be speaking on Wednesday, March 4th, from 11:50 AM - 12:30 PM EST on a panel centered on the competing forces of personalization and privacy, and how marketing professionals can develop consent-driven relationships while still delivering relevant experiences.
Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo recently introduced a bill to establish comprehensive whistleblower protections under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The bill, known as the Whistleblower Protection and Privacy Act, supports whistleblowers in two key ways—by creating an award program to incentivize these individuals to speak up about potential violations and by establishing anti-retaliation provisions to protect them once they come forward.
A security flaw that exposed thousands of DJI Romo robot vacuums to unauthorized access has been unintentionally revealed after a tinkerer built an app to control their own device with a PlayStation controller. According to The Verge, this problem allowed the app to retrieve accurate floor plans, access live camera and microphone feeds, and even let it remotely control the affected devices.
The UK’s Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has found that Reddit used children’s personal information unlawfully, violating the ICO’s Age Appropriate Design Code. Failings included not checking the age of users accessing its platform and not carrying out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) to assess and mitigate risks to children.
Governments across the EU have withdrawn the revised definition of personal data from the GDPR omnibus package, softening earlier proposals that had prompted strong resistance from regulators and civil society. The withdrawn update would have rendered pseudonymous data exempt from the definition of personal data, even if future handlers of said data could re-identify it.
For every aspect of a student’s life, there’s a tech company trying to digitize it. Inside the classroom, online tools proctor exams, create flashcards, and submit assignments. Outside, technology coordinates school sports, helps bus drivers find the right route, and maintains students’ health records. California has a number of laws aimed at protecting children’s data privacy, but those laws have exceptions that allow many tech companies to continue packaging and selling students’ personal information.
There's more to explore:
We go deeper into additional privacy topics with incredible guests monthly. Available on Spotify or Apple.
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The book inspired by this newsletter: Osano CEO, Arlo Gilbert, covers the history of data privacy and how companies can start building a privacy program from the ground up. More details here.
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