Peter A Clarke

 Technology is filling a gap left by the law in privacy.  The Australian has a very interesting piece, Privacy protection the new black: Turnbull spruik boost for Wickr on Wikr and how the Prime Minister’s enthusiasm for this messaging app has boosted its use. It is a very interesting piece.  Wikr is not alone.  On 29 October 2015 Tor released a new beta version of Tor messenger while gmail is now warning users when messages arrive from unencrypted connections.

A large part of the reason for Read the rest of this entry »

It is not only the Federal Trade Commission that has been active in dealing with poor data security in the United States.  The Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”) has been taking enforcement action for data breaches as it did against YourTel America (see my post here) which resulted in a $3.5million settlement. Heavy settlement payments have been extracted from malefactors as FCC did with AT & T Services Inc agreeing to pay $25 million in April this year when it failed to properly protect the confidentiality of almost 280,000 customers.

Earlier this month the FCC in a 18 page notification announced a settlement of $595,000 with cable company Cox Communications regarding poor privacy protections which Read the rest of this entry »

Data breaches are one thing.  The real issue is the impact of data breaches. The data breach of Queensland Department of Education and TAFE highlights the unfortunate consequences.  The personal information accessed includes Read the rest of this entry »

The data breach of the UK telco TalkTalk is throwing considerable light on how data breaches create reputational damages, can be difficult to quantify accurately early on and can have ripple effects on the organisation.  And how much they cost.  It has also Read the rest of this entry »

Cyber attacks are occurring and being reported at such a regular basis that the coverage has been less breathless and dramatic than it was several years ago. That is not to say there is no reportage.  It is more that the stories, such as the Ashley Maddison or Sony hacks either tend to have a sensational tinge to them or, like the OPM attack, are on a massive scale.  Read the rest of this entry »

It has been a bad day for Queensland Education, at least on line.  The Queensland TAFe and Education departmens websites have been breached according to the itnews report Qld TAFE, Education websites hacked.  Interestingly the Government was made aware of the Read the rest of this entry »

In the United Kingdom the Information Commissioner has been busy of late fining Pharmacy 2U £130,000  for selling details of its customers and the Crown Prosecution Service for serious breaches of data security.  While the Information Commissioner has had his critics over time he is quite strong on dealing with data security breaches and has imposed swingeing penalties in the past, and Read the rest of this entry »

The successful cyber attack on TalkTalk was, by any measure, a very serious and damaging breach. Telcos are a honey pot of personal information and TalkTalk had 4 million customers.  Four million sets of names, addresses, credit card numbers and other tit bits of data which would give a fraudster a superannuation pot to die for.  It has been a disastrous hit to TalkTalk’s reputation.  And in cyberspace reputation is vital.  Users are notoriously skittish on data security issues.

As much as the breach was worrying at least as worrying was the fact that TalkTalk had been the subject of two earlier attacks this year.

The UK House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee have launched an inquiry into cyber security.  The terms of reference include Read the rest of this entry »

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (“ACMA”) has taken action against Spin Tel Pty ltd (“Spin Tel”) for breaches of the Telecommunications Act 1997  (“the Act”).

FACTS

SpinTel is a carriage service provider (a “CSP”), within the meaning of the Act, which supplies fixed line, broadband, and mobile telecommunications services across Australia [3]  It is a ‘Data Provider’ within the meaning of clause 2.2 of the IPND Code and a ‘Supplier’ within the meaning of clause 2.1 of the TCP Code [4]. The integrated Public Number Database (“the IPND”) is an industry wide database of all listed and unlisted public telephone numbers.

Clause 4.1 of the IPND Code provides Read the rest of this entry »

From time to time the Guardian publishes a jeremiad on the state of privacy.  Back in August last year there was the none to imaginative The death of privacy.  Subtle it wasn’t but the meaning was clear. The latest offering from the good people at Guardian comes Privacy is starting to seem like a very 20th-century anomaly.  It proceeds with the usual incorrect and woefully simplistic assumption that in days of yore, such as the Middle Ages there was no such thing as privacy.  That everyone knew what everyone was doing, when and how.  The piece, not surprisingly then proceeds to claim that a right to a private life only Read the rest of this entry »