This week in data – 9 August: Each week, we compile the best stories in data. Get up to speed on this week in data without having to search for it.

Western Australia clears path for data sharing laws

Quite a bit of forward thinking is coming out of Australia, and now the state of Western Australia is joining in. Alongside the government’s passage of data right laws, the state is now introducing its own privacy sharing legislation. Now, while it’s actually quite behind – other states in Australia have their own laws – the fact it’s taken a while to get up and running could mean it includes provisions not in the other states’. 

THE TAKEAWAY:

“The government said that being one of only two jurisdictions yet to introduce privacy and information sharing arrangements would allow WA the opportunity to learn established legislative models and experiences in other states.”

Australia promises “right to delete”

Speaking of the land of Oz, the country has now said its new data legislation will get an update: the “right to delete” information for consumers. There are exceptions, like the courts, but once again, the fact that these amendments are moving quickly sets an example for the rest of the world. First Europe, then Singapore, now Australia…eyes on the United States, next. 

THE TAKEAWAY:

“The CDR rules must “specify a requirement on an accredited data recipient to delete all or part of CDR data in response to a valid request by a CDR consumer for the CDR data to be deleted,” a proposed amendment states.”

What can we learn from Singapore?

Singapore has been a massive leader in data sharing legislation. We think there’s a lot we can learn from them, which is exactly why we published a piece talking about the country’s latest framework for data collaboration. We’re particularly happy about how consumer consent has been included as a key point – we’re all about it, here. 

Anything that helps deliver better services in real-time is alright by us. 

THE TAKEAWAY:

“What the introduction of IMDA’s framework solidifies is that data sharing’s role in everyday activities is increasingly relevant. What’s more, members of the C-suite can use this framework to prepare for secure data collaboration, while ensuring customer privacy is protected.”

Apple joins Silicon Valley data alliance 

Remember that deal the Silicon Valley giants had over data sharing? Now Apple wants a slice. Or a bite. Whatever you call it, they’ve joined with Twitter, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft. The five now say they want to make it easier for users to share information between all of them. Sharing is caring, y’all.

THE TAKEAWAY:

“In an attempt to help the users understand and produce hype about the upcoming projects, Google recently released a statement that gives hints about the upcoming user-facing features and products. According to Google’s lead for the data transfer project, it was announced that Google is looking forward to launching its first user-facing features very soon. Although the timeline was mentioned as “coming months”, however, details are still unknown.”

…but Apple still has data issues

Uh, yeah. That’s definitely what we’d call this: last week it was revealed contractors working for Apple had the ability to hear accidental voice recordings created when users turned on the Siri feature. Among them: discussions between doctors, business meetings, even sexual content. Yikes. Apple says the information isn’t linked to other data, but still…not great. 

Apple is shutting this down, but the contents of the story suggest there are still some problems there.

THE TAKEAWAY:

“Apple is subcontracting out, there’s a high turnover. It’s not like people are being encouraged to have consideration for people’s privacy, or even consider it. If there were someone with nefarious intentions, it wouldn’t be hard to identify [people on the recordings].”