February 2020 – Cyber Law Watch

Hand Out of a Different Cookie Jar: Google to Eliminate all Third Party Cookies

Feb 26 2020

By Cameron Abbott, Max Evans and Florence Fermanis

Google is aiming to eliminate all third party cookies by 2020, according to a recent article by ABC Science.

‘Cookies’ have gained a somewhat infamous reputation beyond their sweet moniker. Third party cookies particularly are created by a party that is different to the website you are using, and are designed to help market a certain good to you as you surf across the web. Think of a pair of trousers you viewed once that now pop up in different advertisements across different websites. These are the sort of cookies Google wants to ban.

This comes amidst increasing demand by consumers for better privacy protection, according to Justin Schuh, Google’s director of Chrome Engineering.

Toll’d You So: Cyber Security Incident Cripples Toll’s Supply Lines, Causes Customer Backlash

Feb 24 2020

By Cameron Abbott, Warwick Andersen and Max Evans

Further information surrounding the specific details and extent of the security breach suffered by transport and logistics network Toll, which we previously blogged in respect of, have been revealed by the Australian Financial Review.

The crippling ransomware attack, known now as “Mailto” or “Kazakavkovkiz” caused Toll to suspend many of its delivery and tracking systems with a Toll spokesperson indicating that the company needed to suspend up to 500 applications that supported its operations across 25 countries worldwide. In Australia, entities such as Nike, Optus, and Telstra were forced to address a multitude of customer complaints arising out of packages affected by the relevant cyber attack.

New Decade, New Facebook? Facebook Reaches $550 Million Settlement in Facial Recognition Class Action, Agrees to Upgrade Privacy Safeguards

Feb 20 2020

By Cameron Abbott, Max Evans and Florence Fermanis

Facebook is in the news again, but this time it’s not for the Cambridge Analytica scandal that took over our screens in 2019. Facebook has agreed to pay $550 Million USD to settle a class action which claimed that it had collected and stored biometric information belonging to millions of users without their consent, according to reports by Reuters and TechXplore.

According to the reports, the relevant users alleged that Facebook illegally collected biometric data through its ‘Tag Suggestions’ feature, which allowed users to recognise Facebook friends from uploaded photographs.

You’ve Got (Junk) Mail: Optus Slammed with $504k Fine For Spam Law Breach

Feb 17 2020

By Cameron Abbott, Max Evans and Florence Fermanis

Optus has been fined $504,000 by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for breaching spam laws, according to articles by the ABC and the SMH. The fine is the second largest in ACMA’s history to be awarded, being just $6,000 shy of the $510,000 fine which was slapped on Telstra in 2014 for missing service standards for urban landline connections.

Despite customers notifying Optus of their wish to opt-out or unsubscribe from such messages, an ACMA investigation found that customers still received the relevant messages, resulting in more than 2 million breaches to the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). Rather than a ‘one-off’ issue, it was found that Optus had systemic deficiencies with their compliance procedures and governance.

Don’t let coronavirus get your system infected

Feb 07 2020

By Cameron Abbott and Allison Wallace

You’ve all likely seen various news reports and online posts about the coronavirus epidemic – you may have even received email alerts on how you can protect yourself from being infected.

It turns out cyber criminals are using our curiosity to bait us with fake documents purporting to inform us about coronavirus while actually infecting our systems with malware.

Taking its Toll: Toll Shuts Down IT Systems Citing Cyber-Security Incident

Feb 05 2020

By Cameron Abbott, Max Evans and Florence Fermanis

We have our first large scale data breach of the decade. Toll, a transport and logistics network which delivers up to 95 million items globally every year, has temporarily shut down a number of its IT systems as a precautionary measure after suffering a cyber-security breach on Friday, according to an article by the SMH.

A spokesperson has indicated that Toll has cybersecurity experts working closely with their IT team on the breach, and is taking careful internal measures so that systems can be brought back up online in a “controlled and secured manner”. Additionally, Toll has initiated business continuity plans to minimise the disturbance brought on by the breach. While any official numbers of affected customers and the exact nature and extent of the breach have not yet been released by Toll, The Register has reported that the breach has reportedly affected customers in Australia, India and the Philippines.

Post-Brexit data protection – where are we now?

Feb 04 2020

By Cameron Abbott and Michelle Aggromito

After years of political squabble and delays, Brexit day finally arrived on 31 January 2020. But what does it mean when we talk about the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and how will data protection regulation and compliance change?

There will be little change during the transition (also known as “implementation”) period that is expected to end on 31 December 2020. During this period, EU law will continue to apply in the UK, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), after which the GDPR will be converted into UK law.

Archive:February 2020