Why blockchain is the best hope for protecting data | European Parliament accused of not protecting worker data | Report: AI-related processes could expose corporate data
Because centralized repositories of information will always be hackable, blockchain offers the best option for protection because it is decentralized, argues CEO Boris Bohrer-Bilowitzki of tech company Concordium. In this commentary, Bohrer-Bilowitzki draws a parallel to a king's treasure room, where instead of being in one place, the pieces are guarded in separate locations, with neither the king nor potential thief able to view them in their entirety.
Austria-based privacy advocacy group NOYB has accused the European Parliament of failing to protect the personal data of employees. The complaint to the European Data Protection Supervisor was filed on behalf of four employees after a data breach that affected more than 8,000 staff members, arguing that the Parliament "has an obligation to ensure proper security measures, given that its employees are likely targets for bad actors."
Databases storing unstructured data and large language models could expose corporate data to risks including leakage and poisoning, according to researchers from Legit Security. The report says those areas underpinning AI applications are especially vulnerable and that in some cases could be accessed with no permission enforcement.
Data sovereignty is becoming increasingly important as AI integrates into daily life, and AI's growth has led countries to invest in local AI infrastructures to maintain control over their data. Organizations must navigate these complexities by understanding data protection laws, enforcing strong data governance and selecting providers that ensure local data storage.
When telling the story of your company, stress what's unique about your business, use the best platforms persistently, have personal stories ready to share and always incorporate your story into interactions, says Felicia Sinusas, associate director of publicity at Harvard Business Review Press. "Businesses need to realize that their story will help establish trust and connection with their current and potential customers," Sinusas says.
Congress has apparently run out of time to produce a data privacy law this session, so it remains a state-by-state issue, or "17 slightly different headaches for marketers to deal with," as this article notes before spelling out the details. Six state privacy laws are already in effect, with 11 more set to go into effect by October 2025.
Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, often called PIPEDA, once was considered the world's best, but it's now 24 years old. A replacement has been in the works since 2022; this article breaks down what must be accomplished to get it passed by Parliament before federal elections next year, after which legislators would have to start over.
Big changes are in the works for Australia's Privacy Act, which currently exempts more than 9 out of 10 businesses because they are considered too small. But soon, with a phase-in period, the dragnet will cover almost every industry that stores customers' data, and this article covers how small enterprises can get ahead of it.
The Beatles' performance on the rooftop of Apple Corps HQ in London lives on, but their last public performance might be called unremarkable -- it didn't sell out. What venue?
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