LibGuides: Cybersecurity: Data Privacy

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Privacy and the Internet - Can massive data breaches be stopped?
Nearly 2 billion consumer records were stolen or accidentally exposed in the United States last year, including personal data on nearly half the U.S. population held by the Equifax credit agency. The data breaches raise questions about whether consumers’ information can be protected. Privacy advocates want lawmakers to adopt rules similar to those in Europe, which require consumer consent before companies can use or share data. Congress is considering bills that would penalize companies that conceal breaches and would educate consumers on how to better safeguard their data. But little action is expected because of disagreements over how much regulation is needed. Many Republicans warn that excessive regulation could harm online commerce, while most Democrats want greater business accountability. Technological developments make it more difficult to protect online privacy, while the rapid expansion of the Internet of Things — in which consumer devices are connected to the internet and sometimes each other — makes hacking easier and could lead to the surveillance of unwitting consumers.
Cyberwarfare - Can the U.S. and other democracies develop an effective defense?
Cyberwarfare has become a crucial battleground between nations. This largely hidden conflict, which has echoes of the Cold War struggle between Western democracies and communist nations, involves a range of activities: from online disinformation campaigns to the use of sophisticated computer worms to disrupt or commandeer government and commercial computer systems. Russia, the United States, China, Iran and other nations all have probed and hacked into other countries' computer systems. Some U.S. officials worry about a “cyber Pearl Harbor,” in which an enemy launches a surprise cyberattack to disable key public utilities such as the power grid. But other analysts believe the greater danger lies in the way Russia manipulated social media to spread disinformation and worsen political divisions in the 2016 U.S. election as it worked to boost the campaign of President Trump. U.S. intelligence officials say that Russia is at it again, and experts warn that new technologies such as 5G high-speed wireless and artificial intelligence make defending against cyberattacks even harder.
Cyberwarfare Threat - Do hackers pose a danger to national security?
The next major conflict between world powers may not begin at sea or along a disputed border, but in cyberspace. In the past decade, hackers have targeted voting systems in the United States, electrical grids in Ukraine, uranium enrichment facilities in Iran and hospitals, universities and major corporations around the world. The attacks have focused new attention on whether the United States is acting quickly enough to protect computer networks serving critical infrastructure, from military bases to power plants. Cybersecurity experts say companies holding sensitive data are particularly vulnerable to digital attacks, such as the recent hack of the Equifax credit reporting agency that potentially affects 145.5 million U.S. consumers. The United Nations is working to develop international rules for cyberwarfare, but the effort faces major hurdles, including deciding how even to define a cyberweapon. Allegations that Russia used social media to disrupt last year's presidential election are another focus of concern as the United States prepares for the 2018 congressional elections.
The 5G Revolution - Does the new wireless technology pose security risks?
5G, the fifth generation of cellular technology, promises to transform societies around the world by vastly expanding the number of devices connected in cyberspace and increasing the speed at which those devices communicate, experts say. But as the United States competes with China and other countries for dominance in developing 5G technology, new concerns are emerging about how to prevent cyberthieves and hostile foreign governments from stealing consumers' data or hacking and disabling critical infrastructure. Trump administration officials see Chinese technology giant Huawei, for example, as a potential security threat to 5G systems globally. The U.S. telecom industry and federal regulators promise 5G networks will be safe from cyberattack, but critics note that the administration already has repealed an Obama-era requirement designed to protect those networks. Other experts worry that the new technology — still years away for most Americans — will leave behind minority, low-income and rural customers, saying telecom companies will prioritize areas where they get the best return on 5G investments.
The Dark Web - Does identity-masking technology increase cybercrime?
Millions of people worldwide are using computer technology that allows them to visit websites, communicate with others and conduct business online without leaving a trace of their identity or location. That so-called anonymizing technology has created what experts call the Dark Web, a murky layer of the online world far less visible than the one accessible by Google and other common search engines. Proponents say the Dark Web's ability to mask identities helps protect dissidents in repressive regimes, allows police and military personnel to conduct covert operations and lets human rights activists report atrocities without risking reprisal. But critics say the Dark Web is a pathway for cybercrime, used by child pornographers, drug dealers and sex traffickers to hide their illegal dealings. Some law enforcement officials say the technology cripples their ability to catch criminals. But civil-liberties advocates counter that online anonymity is so valuable for good causes that it must not be curtailed.

Europe's GDPR Law

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a legal framework that sets guidelines for the collection and processing of personal information from individuals who live in the European Union (EU). Since the Regulation applies regardless of where websites are based, it must be heeded by all sites that attract European visitors, even if they don't specifically market goods or services to EU residents.

The GDPR mandates that EU visitors be given a number of data disclosures. The site must also take steps to facilitate such EU consumer rights as a timely notification in the event of personal data being breached. Adopted in April 2016, the Regulation came into full effect in May 2018, after a two-year transition period.

Quoted from:
Frankenfield, J. (2020, November 11). General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Investopedia.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr.asp

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), enacted in 2018 and taking effect on Jan. 1, 2020, gives consumers in California additional rights and protections regarding how businesses may use their personal information. The CCPA imposes many obligations on businesses that are similar to those required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) enacted by the European Union (EU). Nonetheless, a business that already complies with the GDPR may have additional obligations under the CCPA.1

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) took effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
It gives consumers in that state added rights regarding their personal data.
Businesses face various obligations in order to comply.
In 2020, California voters approved Proposition 24, which expanded the CCPA and established the Privacy Protection Agency. These provisions take effect in 2023.

Quoted from:
Kolakowski, M. (2021, July 8). California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Investopedia.
https://www.investopedia.com/what-is-the-california-consumer-privacy-act-4780212

Articles

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Cambridge Analytica and Facebook: The Scandal and the Fallout So Far - The New York Times
In March, The New York Times, working with The Observer of London and The Guardian, obtained a cache of documents from inside Cambridge Analytica, the data firm principally owned by the right-wing donor Robert Mercer . The documents proved that the firm, where the former Trump aide Stephen K. Bannon was a board member, used data improperly obtained from Facebook to build voter profiles. The news put Cambridge under investigation and thrust Facebook into its biggest crisis ever. Here’s a guide to our coverage.
Data mining and automated prediction: A pedagogical primer for classroom discussion - Journal of Education for Business
The authors present a pedagogical primer on the highly controversial business strategies of data mining and automated prediction. They provide a summary that allows business professors and students the opportunity to better understand the privacy and ethical issues that arise from high-tech, Internet-based organizations implementing programs to collect and analyze large quantities of personal data from the users of their systems, and then using this data to make assumptions and projections on individual behaviors. The teaching summary also includes a consideration of the role that governments can play in limiting the ability of large tech-based companies to mine personal information for commercial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]