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WhatsApp Gets Fined Record-High $267M In Ireland Over Privacy Breaches

Posted on by Phil Lam X

On Thursday, it was revealed that messaging platform WhatsApp had been fined a whopping €225 million (US$267,337,400) by an Irish data protection regulator due to the platform’s privacy breaches.

Operating as an EU privacy watchdog, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) shared that the inquiry was made into whether WhatsApp conformed to EU data transparency rules in 2018, otherwise known as the GDPR.

This covered information “about the processing of information between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies,” the regulator states in its press announcement.

The European Data Protection Board stepped in at the end of July. This came after the Irish agency received criticism for allegedly delaying its decision in cases involving tech giants and letting them off with lighter fines than what was deserved.

After a “clear instruction” was issued by the board, the DPC was prompted to “reassess and increase” the proposed fine, which led to the final amount of €225 million.

It’s the highest fine issued by Ireland related to GDPR privacy regulations, and the EU’s second-highest.

Apart from paying up, the texting platform will also need to “bring its processing into compliance by taking a range of specified remedial actions.”

“We disagree with the decision today regarding the transparency we provided to people in 2018 and the penalties are entirely disproportionate,” a spokesperson for WhatsApp is reported to have said in a statement to Reuters.

It’s stated that the company is filing for an appeal, but it appears to be watched very closely by regulatory firms and it’s doubtful that a lesser fine will be granted.

The Irish regulator DPC, according to Reuters, had 14 major inquiries into Facebook, including WhatsApp and Instagram, open at the end of last year.

Source: DesignTAXI

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Chris Hansen On How Scared He Was When First Filming ‘To Catch a Predator’

Posted on by Phil Lam X

In this clip, Chris Hansen recalls the first episode of “To Catch a Predator,” and he admits that his nerves were high, as he states, “My heart was in my throat.” Hansen then revealed that everything was set up for the first two episodes- security, transcripts, actors, but there was no police involvement in the show. During the first show, things went as planned with the first two men he confronted, but the third attempt was a little shaky, as Chris grabbed the wrong transcript. Chris added that the third man was also the most aggressive and potentially dangerous. To hear more, including the police getting involved in the third episode, hit the above clip.

Apple Tweaks Mask-Wearing Emoji To Look Friendlier In The COVID-19 Era

Posted on by Phil Lam X

Yep, the ‘Face with Medical Mask’ emoji has become an unlikely symbol of everyday life for 2020, meaning it’s no longer relevant just for those working in clinical settings – and now it’s had an upgrade.

Following its newfound fame, Apple has recently updated the face so that it looks a little more cheerful, to show that wearing a mask is no bad thing.

The new version of the emoji comes with Apple’s new mobile operating system, iOS 14.2, which is currently in beta stage and expected to release in late October or early November 2020.

Before, the emoji had exasperated downturned eyes, and looked a bit sorry for itself. But after its makeover, the face not only has cheerful blushing cheeks, but its happy eyes imply there’s even a smile going on under that covering.

Source: LADbible

Snapchat apologizes for Juneteenth filter that prompted users to ‘smile’ to break chains

Posted on by Phil Lam X

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Snapchat is apologizing for a controversial Juneteenth filter that allowed users to “smile and break the chains,” saying the filter had not gone through its usual review protocols. The filter was panned by critics on Friday morning shortly after its release for its tone deafness, and was disabled by about 11AM ET.

“We deeply apologize to the members of the Snapchat community who found this Lens offensive,” a Snap spokesperson said in an email to The Verge. “A diverse group of Snap team members were involved in developing the concept, but a version of the Lens that went live for Snapchatters this morning had not been approved through our review process. We are investigating why this mistake occurred so that we can avoid it in the future.”

It isn’t the first time a Snapchat filter has gone badly awry. In 2017, it honored International Women’s Day by offering filters of famous women like Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks, and Marie Curie, but added smoky eye makeup and a face “thinning” effect to the Curie filter. It had two misfires with filters in 2016: it released a Bob Marley filter in honor of 4/20 that put users’ selfies in what many users felt amounted to digital blackface, and later that year made an anime-inspired filter that created “yellowface” caricatures of Asians.

Source: The Verge