WIREDGOV

The Information Commissioner’s Office has opened consultation on 16 standards that online services must meet to protect children’s privacy.

Age appropriate design: a code of practice for online services sets out the standards expected of those responsible for designing, developing or providing online services likely to be accessed by children and which process their data.  When finalised, it will be the first of its kind and become an international benchmark.

Introduced by the Data Protection Act 2018, the draft code sets out 16 standards of age appropriate design for online services like apps, connected toys, social media platforms, online games, educational websites & streaming services.  It is not restricted to services specifically directed at children.

The draft code says that the best interests of the child should be a primary consideration when designing and developing online services. It says that privacy must be built in and not bolted on.  The code is out for consultation until 31 May.  The final version will be laid before Parliament and is expected to come into effect before the end of 2019.

Settings must be “high privacy” by default (unless there’s a compelling reason not to); only the minimum amount of personal data should be collected and retained; children’s data should not usually be shared; and geolocation services should be switched off by default in most circumstances.  So-called “nudge techniques” should not be used to encourage children to provide unnecessary personal data, to weaken their privacy settings or carry on using the service longer than they had intended. It also addresses issues of parental control and profiling.

Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham has responded to the government’s Online Harms White Paper.

“I think the white paper proposals reflect people’s growing mistrust of social media and online services. People want to use these services, they appreciate the value of them, but they’re increasingly questioning how much control they have of what they see, and how their information is used. That relationship needs repairing, and regulation can help that.  If we get this right, we can protect people online while embracing the opportunities of digital innovation.

……. We have powers, provided under data protection law, to act decisively where people’s information is being misused online, and we have specific powers to ensure firms are accountable to the people whose data they use.

Bounty UK fined £400,000 for sharing personal data unlawfully

ICO fines production company £120,000 for unlawful filming in maternity clinic

London council fined by the ICO for disclosing sensitive personal data about alleged gang members

Health Minister Vaughan Gething, has set out his vision for cutting edge precision medicine to improve health and deliver a sustainable future for NHS Wales.

The RCC in Newport, which was the first facility in the UK to offer proton beam therapy for cancer patients, is an excellent example of the development of new cancer therapies, here in Wales.  

The Minister said. “Today I have published our Statement of Intent for Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Products, which sets out how we will deliver precision therapeutics, like new cell therapies, in Wales.

37% of UK businesses have seen an increase in stress-related absence over the last year, with heavy workloads and poor management style to blame, according to a new report from the CIPD & Simplyhealth.

The research, which surveyed 1,078 people professionals, shows that stress is a growing problem in UK workplaces.  Respondents say having heavy workloads (62%), which can be attributed to poor management, is the top cause of stress-related absence.  The second biggest contributing factor is management style which has risen from 32% to 43% in the last year.