Subj : MWC organizers fined over GDPR biometric security concerns To : All From : TechnologyDaily Date : Tue May 09 2023 15:15:03 MWC organizers fined over GDPR biometric security concerns Date: Tue, 09 May 2023 14:13:54 +0000 Description: Privacy rules were breached in at MWC 2021 event, Spains data protection watchdog says. FULL STORY ====================================================================== The GSMA, the organizers behind Barcelonas annual Mobile World Congress (MWC), have been fined 200 million for not carrying out a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) Per TechCrunch , the decision (PDF) delivered in Spanish by the Agencia Espanola de Proteccion de Datos (AEPD) found that the GSMA fell short when failing to account for biometric data collected from attendees, partially as a result of BREEZZ - an optional, automated identity verification system permitting entry to the event. The GSMAs assessment was found, per the decision, to be merely nominal, neglecting to account for substantive aspects of its data processing methods, nor the risks of, or need for, the BREEZZ system. The GDPR and MWC's DPIA The EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires that a robust DPIA be carried out when data collection may pose a high risk to the right to privacy of those affected Biometric facial recognition technology falls into this category in this case because said data was used to identify MWC attendees. The AEPD also ruled that the GSMA collected passports and EU identity documentation from attendees, and required them to consent to biometric data collection as part of the upload process. The GDPR clearly states that consent must be specific, and given freely, but, as discovered by digital wellness advocate Dr Anastasia Dedyukhina, this clearly wasnt an option. I could not find a reasonable justification for it, she wrote in a LinkedIn post, their website suggested that I could also bring my ID/passport for in-person verification, which I didnt mind." Read more > Google sued for collecting biometric data without consent > What does AI mean for data privacy? > Weve also listed the best privacy tools right now "However, the organizers insisted that unless I upload my passport details, I COULD NOT attend the live event and would need to join virtually, which I ended up doing. The GSMA continued these practices for the 2022 and 2023 events, but, in light of the AEPDs ruling, things will likely have to change - almost certainly for the better. Heres our list of the best business VPNs right now ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/news/mwc-organizers-fined-over-gdpr-biometric-securi ty-concerns --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100) .