Investigations announced into how social media and video sharing platforms use UK children’s personal information

ICO are announcing three investigations looking into how TikTok, Reddit and Imgur protect the privacy of their child users in the UK.  Our investigation into TikTok is considering how the platform uses personal information of 13–17-year-olds in the UK to make recommendations to them and deliver suggested content to their feeds. This is in light of growing concerns about social media and video sharing platforms using data generated by children’s online activity in their recommender systems, which could lead to young people being served inappropriate or harmful content.  Our investigations…

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Direct marketing advice generator makes it easy for organisations to comply with the law

ICO have launched a free online tool to help organisations ensure their direct marketing activities comply with UK law – namely the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (PECR), and the UK GDPR. By using the direct marketing advice generator, small organisations will get reliable compliance advice, tailored to their own direct marketing activities, in minutes. This allows organisations to reach out and promote their products and services to both new and existing customers, as well as share their aims and ideals – and can assist in making sure they’re contacting…

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ICO intervention into AI recruitment tools leads to better data protection for job seekers

The ICO have issued a series of recommendations to AI developers and providers to ensure they are better protecting job seekers’ information rights. AI is increasingly being used in the recruitment process to save time and money, helping to source potential candidates, summarise CVs and score applicants. If not developed lawfully, these tools may negatively impact jobseekers who could be unfairly excluded from roles or have their privacy compromised.   The ICO audited several providers and developers of AI tools for recruitment and made almost 300 recommendations, such as ensuring personal…

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New data protection audit framework launched to help organisations improve compliance

The ICO has launched a new audit framework designed to help organisations assess their own compliance with key requirements under data protection law.  The framework empowers organisations to identify necessary steps to improve their data protection practices and create a culture of compliance. It provides them with a starting point to evaluate how they handle and protect personal information.  Whether for senior management, data protection officers, compliance auditors or those responsible for records management or cybersecurity, the framework offers practical tools for building and maintaining strong privacy management. The framework…

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New tool helps small businesses create privacy notices

The ICO have launched a new, quick and easy-to-use tool to help small organisations and sole traders create a bespoke privacy notice and protect people’s information rights. Under data protection law, every organisation that holds people’s information needs to explain why it holds it and what it does with it. This is so their customers, suppliers, staff and volunteers know what will happen to their personal information. Organisations can provide this information through a privacy notice, which is displayed on its website or included in other communications, to ensure they’re…

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