At a glance.
- Post-Brexit privacy moves away from GDPR.
- Havana tightens online censorship.
- Beijing's cyber contractors and their APT side-hustles.
UK’s had its fill of “box-ticking” data privacy.
The UK hopes to walk a tightrope of easing GDPR requirements that stifle innovation and offend common sense without falling afoul of the existing EU-UK data transfer agreement, the Wall Street Journal reports. If successful, the changes are expected to benefit British business, science, and technology. If the European Commission decides the revisions stray too far from EU standards, however, London will need to muddle through developing another data agreement, and organizations may face more complex compliance burdens. The UK is simultaneously hammering out data-transfer arrangements with Washington, Canberra, and eight other nations.
The Guardian spotlights users’ impatience with hallmark GDPR “irritating cookie popups.” England will present a test case, the piece says, for how much wiggle room the framework allows, and what diverse shapes data protection can take. “Now that we have left the EU I’m determined to seize the opportunity by developing a world-leading data policy,” commented Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.
Cuba moves to tighten online censorship.
The Record details the effects of Havana’s new “cybersecurity” laws. In addition to establishing an “Institute of Information and Social Communication,” the legislation requires network providers to deploy gear that can monitor traffic, stop and report “cybersecurity incidents,” and block the transmission of “false information.” “Cybersecurity incidents” are defined to include criticisms of the regime. The laws also bind independent networks and ban unauthorized network equipment. The Record sees more Internet shutdowns along with a national firewall in Cuba’s future.
China’s enterprising and destructive cyber contractors.
The New York Times traces the contours of Beijing’s trend towards Moscow-style hacking operations. As we’ve seen, the CCP’s pivot to Ministry of State Security (MSS) sponsored cyber operations has correlated with increases in both sophistication and brashness. MSS recruits from universities, the private sector, and cyber tournaments, and looks the other way when the talent mingles crime and espionage. The current setup can be sloppy, with readily traceable online tracks, but onlookers fear China’s cyber game will only improve in coming years.