The reported use by the Department of Homeland Security of administrative subpoenas to gather information from U.S. citizens and organizations isn't likely to affect the fate of the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework (DPF), experts said.
The U.K. ICO is investigating X and xAI for possible data protection breaches relating to Grok's potential for producing harmful sexualized images and video content, the agency said Tuesday. Separately, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) updated its probe of the platform. X didn't comment.
DPAs face legal and practical challenges in cross-border enforcement actions, according to a European Data Protection Board (EDPB) report published Monday. These include legal barriers to sharing confidential information and exercising investigatory powers on behalf of foreign DPAs, the absence of mechanisms for enforcing decisions in their countries, and fragmented enforcement cooperation, the document said.
French watchdog CNIL fined France Travail, an administrative body that links job seekers with recruiters, 5 million euros ($6 million) for failing to keep users' data safe, it said Thursday. Separately, Italian DPA Garante announced fines against companies for illegal data processing and failure to keep an email account private.
Europe is at a crossroads in deciding how it can protect its values in an increasingly complex and geopolitical context, European Data Protection Board (EDPB) Deputy Chair Jelena Virant Burnik said in a keynote Wednesday during a Data Protection Day conference hosted by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) and Council of Europe.
X may have violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) by failing to assess and mitigate risks associated with Grok, including manipulated sexually explicit images and child sexual abuse material, the European Commission said Monday in opening a probe.
Personal data breach notifications jumped significantly last year in Europe, while privacy enforcement activities remained high, DLA Piper lawyers said during a Thursday webinar presenting the firm's annual fines and data breach survey.
EU lawmakers pressed the European Commission on Tuesday to make full use of Europe's digital laws against activities such as Grok's creation of nude and child sexual images. At a European Parliament plenary, members debated a resolution on tackling AI deepfakes and sexual exploitation on social media (see 2601150001).
The U.K. Office of Communications (Ofcom) will continue its probe of Grok, despite assurances from X that it will prevent the tool from creating intimate images of people, Ofcom said Thursday. Another U.K. regulator, ICO, asked X to make the changes immediately, ICO emailed us Thursday.
French telco Free will appeal the "unprecedented" decision of privacy regulator CNIL to fine it and Free Mobile 15 million euros ($17.5 million) and 27 million euros ($31.5 million), respectively, for failing to keep 24 million subscribers' data secure, a spokesperson for Iliad Group, which owns the providers, said in an emailed statement Wednesday. It intends to appeal the decision to France's Supreme Administrative Court, the spokesperson added.