Amazon's customer-centricity means most extensive use of customer data, and other privacy news

Privacy

This in-depth article takes you Inside Amazon’s Failures to Protect Your Data: Internal Voyeurs, Bribery Scandals and Backdoor Schemes This shows the true meaning of one of Amazon’s claims “Amazon’s mission is to be Earth’s most customer-centric company.”

The fact that Apple sues NSO Group over state-backed spyware should reduce the spying threats. Following up, Apple explains how it alerts targets of state-sponsored spyware attacks Making the software safer would be a better solution, though!

Focusing on the commercial use of collected data, Italy fines Apple and Google for ‘aggressive’ data practices, and UK privacy watchdog warns adtech the end of tracking is nigh

Nobody likes trolls, but the fact that Australia plans laws to make social networks identify trolls could be start of a slippery slope impacting free speech.

Security

As usual, we’re heard of consumer data exposures and vulnerabilities:

• Over 300,000 Android users have downloaded these banking trojan malware apps, say security researchers

• This stealthy malware delivers a 'silent threat' that wants to steal your passwords

• Data from millions of Brazilians exposed in Wi-Fi management software firm leak

• All Versions of Windows Are Vulnerable to a New Zero-Day Exploit

Going beyond the security hype, FBI Document Shows How Popular Secure Messaging Apps Stack Up

New UK law will hit smart home device makers with big fines for using default passwords and push for other improvements in consumer device security.

Regulation

As often, most of the regulatory privacy and security action was in Europe:

• Amazon and Apple fined $228 million in Italy for unfairly restricting Beats sales

• European Parliament’s IMCO backs limits on tech giants’ ability to run tracking ads

• EU companies issue formal complaint against Microsoft OneDrive Windows integration

• Google agrees with UK’s CMA to deeper oversight of Privacy Sandbox

Though not all actions appear to be well thought out: Europe offers tepid set of political ads transparency rules