Privacy risks are intensifying across government, corporate, and digital domains. The DHS has been secretly collecting DNA from US citizens without authorization, raising profound civil liberties concerns. Meanwhile, Akira ransomware is bypassing MFA protections on SonicWall VPNs, exposing critical weaknesses in enterprise defenses. From Disney’s $10 million COPPA settlement to scammers impersonating the USPTO and the rise of online radicalization, today’s threats underscore the urgent need for stronger oversight, transparency, and resilience.
Top 5 Critical Privacy Alerts
- DHS Has Been Collecting US Citizens’ DNA for Years: CBP agents have been harvesting DNA from American citizens, including minors, without Congressional authorization. Read more
- Akira ransomware breaching MFA-protected SonicWall VPN accounts: Akira ransomware attacks are successfully bypassing MFA on SonicWall VPNs, possibly through stolen OTP seeds. Read more
- Disney settles charges that it violated children’s online privacy protection law: Disney will pay a $10 million penalty for COPPA violations related to collecting children’s data without parental consent. Read more
- Scammers are impersonating the United States Patent and Trademark Office: Scammers are impersonating the USPTO to steal money from business owners by targeting their trademarks. Read more
- Reading the post-riot posts: how we traced far-right radicalisation across 51,000 Facebook messages: Investigation traces far-right radicalization through online activity related to summer 2024 riots. Read more
Privacy Laws & Regulations
- Disney settles charges that it violated children’s online privacy protection law: Disney will pay a $10 million penalty for COPPA violations related to collecting children’s data without parental consent. Read more
- EU probes SAP over anti-competitive ERP support practices: The European Commission is investigating SAP for potential anti-competitive practices in ERP support services. Read more
Data Minimization & User Consent
- DHS Has Been Collecting US Citizens’ DNA for Years: CBP agents have been harvesting DNA from American citizens, including minors, without Congressional authorization. Read more
Regulatory Fines & Enforcement Actions
- Disney settles charges that it violated children’s online privacy protection law: Disney will pay a $10 million penalty for COPPA violations related to collecting children’s data without parental consent. Read more
- EU probes SAP over anti-competitive ERP support practices: The European Commission is investigating SAP for potential anti-competitive practices in ERP support services. Read more
