French regulatory body CNIL has levied a hefty fine of €32 million ($35 million) on Amazon France Logistique, citing an "excessively intrusive" surveillance system designed to monitor staff performance. <o:p></o:p>

This is based on a Reuters report.<o:p></o:p>

The CNIL revealed on Tuesday that the company had implemented indicators tracking the inactivity time of employees' scanners, a measure deemed illegal. Additionally, a system gauging the speed at which items were scanned was considered "excessive" by the regulator. <o:p></o:p>

CNIL expressed concern over the storage and retention of data and statistical indicators for all employees and temporary workers for a prolonged period of 31 days. Amazon France Logistique, responsible for managing Amazon's large warehouses in France, is said to disagree with the fine and retains the right to appeal.<o:p></o:p>

The regulatory action comes as CNIL raises objections to the surveillance practices applied within Amazon's warehouses, deeming them overly intrusive. The use of indicators tracking employee inactivity and the speed of item scanning was flagged as a violation. <o:p></o:p>

While Amazon contends that such warehouse management systems are industry standards necessary for safety and efficiency, CNIL argues that the extent and duration of data retention go beyond acceptable limits.<o:p></o:p>

An Amazon spokesperson expressed disagreement with the fine and indicated the company's intention to appeal. The spokesperson emphasised the industry-wide acceptance of such systems in ensuring the timely and accurate processing of packages and tracking inventory storage. <o:p></o:p>

Amazon France Logistique oversees the operation of Amazon's extensive warehouses in France, where the dispute over surveillance practices has unfolded.<o:p></o:p>

(With inputs from Reuters)<o:p></o:p>

French regulatory body CNIL has levied a hefty fine of €32 million ($35 million) on Amazon France Logistique, citing an "excessively intrusive" surveillance system designed to monitor staff performance.

French regulatory body CNIL has levied a hefty fine of €32 million ($35 million) on Amazon France Logistique, citing an "excessively intrusive" surveillance system designed to monitor staff performance. This is based on a Reuters report. The CNIL revealed on Tuesday that the company had implemented indicators tracking the inactivity time of employees' scanners, a measure deemed illegal. Additionally, a system gauging the speed at which items were scanned was considered "excessive" by the regulator. CNIL expressed concern over the storage and retention of data and statistical indicators for all employees and temporary workers for a prolonged period of 31 days. Amazon France Logistique, responsible for managing Amazon's large warehouses in France, is said to disagree with the fine and retains the right to appeal. The regulatory action comes as CNIL raises objections to the surveillance practices applied within Amazon's warehouses, deeming them overly intrusive. The use of indicators tracking employee inactivity and the speed of item scanning was flagged as a violation. While Amazon contends that such warehouse management systems are industry standards necessary for safety and efficiency, CNIL argues that the extent and duration of data retention go beyond acceptable limits. An Amazon spokesperson expressed disagreement with the fine and indicated the company's intention to appeal. The spokesperson emphasised the industry-wide acceptance of such systems in ensuring the timely and accurate processing of packages and tracking inventory storage. Amazon France Logistique oversees the operation of Amazon's extensive warehouses in France, where the dispute over surveillance practices has unfolded. (With inputs from Reuters)

CNIL imposes €32 mn fine on Amazon France Logistique over employee surveillance

Google&nbsp;is not required to apply an EU "right to be forgotten" to its search engine domains outside Europe, the EU's top court ruled Tuesday in a landmark decision.

The European Court of Justice handed victory to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/european-union-fines-google-149-billion-euros-for-anti-trust-breach-204538">Google</a>&nbsp;in the case, seen as crucial in determining whether EU online regulation should apply beyond Europe's borders or not.&nbsp;

The US internet giant had argued that the removal of search results required under EU law should not extend to its&nbsp;google.com domain or its other non-EU sites.

The court ruled that, while a search engine operator such as&nbsp;Google&nbsp;must carry out "de-referencing" of links as demanded by a regulator or court in an EU state to all European versions of its sites, that "right to be forgotten" did not need to go further.

"There is no obligation under EU law" for search engine operators such as&nbsp;Google&nbsp;"to carry out such a de-referencing on all the versions of its search engine," the court said.

The case, seen as pitting individuals' rights to privacy online against freedom of information, stemmed from a legal battle waged by France since 2014 to have&nbsp;Google&nbsp;apply the "right to be forgotten" to all its search domains.

If France had won, it could have deepened <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-preparing-antitrust-probe-of-google-report-223296">a rift between Europe and the United States</a>, which is home to most of the internet's behemoths and whose President Donald Trump has railed against what he sees as EU meddling in US business.

In the end, though, the EU court found that EU law on the issue did not seek to have its "right to be forgotten" extend beyond its borders.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-translates-sad-to-happy-angering-hong-kong-protesters-against-china-extradition-law-228536">Google</a>&nbsp;hailed Tuesday's decision by the EU court.

"It's good to see that the court agreed with our arguments," its lawyer, Peter Fleischer, said in a statement, adding that&nbsp;Google&nbsp;has worked "to strike a sensible balance between people's rights of access to information and privacy".

The US company and other stakeholders had warned that authoritarian countries outside Europe could abuse global de-referencing requests to cover up rights violations.

Closely Watched Case

Google's position was bolstered in January by a non-binding opinion from the EU court's top legal advisor, advocate general Maciej Szpunar, that recommended the judges "should limit the scope of the de-referencing that search engine operators are required to carry out, to the EU".

The case had been closely watched, especially as Europe has also already emerged as a global rule-setter in terms of data protection on the internet.&nbsp;

A 2016 General Data Protection Regulation it enacted that covers all EU citizens and residents has forced many sites and companies around the globe to comply with its measures.

In terms of the "right to be forgotten" legal fight, France's data regulator, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL), had argued that, for de-referencing to be effective, it must apply to all domains wherever they are.

In 2016, CNIL fined&nbsp;Google&nbsp;100,000 euros ($110,000) for non-compliance.&nbsp;Google&nbsp;appealed to France's highest court, which in turn referred to the European Court of Justice, ending up with Tuesday's ruling.

Google is not required to apply an EU "right to be forgotten" to its search engine domains outside Europe, the EU's top court ruled Tuesday in a landmark decision.

Google is not required to apply an EU "right to be forgotten" to its search engine domains outside Europe, the EU's top court ruled Tuesday in a landmark decision. The European Court of Justice handed victory to Google in the case, seen as crucial in determining whether EU online regulation should apply beyond Europe's borders or not. The US internet giant had argued that the removal of search results required under EU law should not extend to its google.com domain or its other non-EU sites. The court ruled that, while a search engine operator such as Google must carry out "de-referencing" of links as demanded by a regulator or court in an EU state to all European versions of its sites, that "right to be forgotten" did not need to go further. "There is no obligation under EU law" for search engine operators such as Google "to carry out such a de-referencing on all the versions of its search engine," the court said. The case, seen as pitting individuals' rights to privacy online against freedom of information, stemmed from a legal battle waged by France since 2014 to have Google apply the "right to be forgotten" to all its search domains. If France had won, it could have deepened a rift between Europe and the United States, which is home to most of the internet's behemoths and whose President Donald Trump has railed against what he sees as EU meddling in US business. In the end, though, the EU court found that EU law on the issue did not seek to have its "right to be forgotten" extend beyond its borders. Google hailed Tuesday's decision by the EU court. "It's good to see that the court agreed with our arguments," its lawyer, Peter Fleischer, said in a statement, adding that Google has worked "to strike a sensible balance between people's rights of access to information and privacy". The US company and other stakeholders had warned that authoritarian countries outside Europe could abuse global de-referencing requests to cover up rights violations. Closely Watched Case Google's position was bolstered in January by a non-binding opinion from the EU court's top legal advisor, advocate general Maciej Szpunar, that recommended the judges "should limit the scope of the de-referencing that search engine operators are required to carry out, to the EU". The case had been closely watched, especially as Europe has also already emerged as a global rule-setter in terms of data protection on the internet. A 2016 General Data Protection Regulation it enacted that covers all EU citizens and residents has forced many sites and companies around the globe to comply with its measures. In terms of the "right to be forgotten" legal fight, France's data regulator, the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertes (CNIL), had argued that, for de-referencing to be effective, it must apply to all domains wherever they are. In 2016, CNIL fined Google 100,000 euros ($110,000) for non-compliance. Google appealed to France's highest court, which in turn referred to the European Court of Justice, ending up with Tuesday's ruling.

Google wins 'right to be forgotten' case against France's privacy watchdog

The French data protection authority on Wednesday ordered Microsoft Corp to stop collecting excessive data on users of its Windows 10 operating system and serving them personalised ads without their consent. 
 
The National Commission on Information and Liberty (CNIL) said the US company had three months to stop tracking browsing by users so that Windows apps and third-party apps can offer them targeted advertising without their consent, failing which it could initiate a sanctions procedure. 
 
A number of EU data protection authorities created a contact group to investigate Microsoft&#39;s Windows 10 operating system following its launch in July 2015, the French privacy watchdog said. 
 
The action against Microsoft taken by the CNIL was to ask the tech-giant to stop collecting users&#39; information then used for advertising without their consent. 
 
Microsoft processes information on all the apps downloaded and installed on Windows by a user and the time spent on each one to identify problems and improve its products. However the CNIL said it considered this to be excessive since the data &quot;are not necessary for the operation of the service&quot;. 
 
The French watchdog also said that Microsoft puts advertising cookies on users&#39; terminals without properly informing them beforehand or giving them a chance to opt out. 
 
&quot;It has been decided to make the formal notice public due to, among other reasons, the seriousness of the breaches and the number of individuals concerned (more than ten million Windows users on French territory),&quot; the CNIL said in a statement. 
 
&quot;The purpose of the notice is not to prohibit any advertising on the company&rsquo;s services but, rather, to enable users to make their choice freely, having been properly informed of their rights.&quot; 
 
While the fines that can currently be levied by European data protection authorities are paltry compared to the revenues of big US tech companies, a new European Union data protection law set to enter into force in two years provides for fines of up to 4 per cent of a company&#39;s annual global turnover. 
 
David Heiner, vice-president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft, said the company would work closely with the CNIL over the next few months to understand its concerns fully and &quot;to work toward solutions that it will find acceptable.&quot; 
 
The CNIL also said Microsoft was still illegally transferring data to the United States using the Safe Harbour framework, which was struck down by the top EU court in October on concerns about mass US surveillance practices. 
 
Companies have had to rely on alternative legal structures such as &quot;standard contractual clauses&quot; to move data across the Atlantic in line with tough EU data transferral rules. 
 
Heiner said Microsoft relied on a variety of legal mechanisms for transferring data from Europe to the United States, including standard contractual clauses. 
 
A new EU-US data transfer pact will be open to companies as of August 1 and Microsoft has said it will sign up to it. 
 
(Reuters)

Firm had three months to stop tracking browsing by users, failing which National Commission on Information and Liberty could initiate action

The French data protection authority on Wednesday ordered Microsoft Corp to stop collecting excessive data on users of its Windows 10 operating system and serving them personalised ads without their consent. The National Commission on Information and Liberty (CNIL) said the US company had three months to stop tracking browsing by users so that Windows apps and third-party apps can offer them targeted advertising without their consent, failing which it could initiate a sanctions procedure. A number of EU data protection authorities created a contact group to investigate Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system following its launch in July 2015, the French privacy watchdog said. The action against Microsoft taken by the CNIL was to ask the tech-giant to stop collecting users' information then used for advertising without their consent. Microsoft processes information on all the apps downloaded and installed on Windows by a user and the time spent on each one to identify problems and improve its products. However the CNIL said it considered this to be excessive since the data "are not necessary for the operation of the service". The French watchdog also said that Microsoft puts advertising cookies on users' terminals without properly informing them beforehand or giving them a chance to opt out. "It has been decided to make the formal notice public due to, among other reasons, the seriousness of the breaches and the number of individuals concerned (more than ten million Windows users on French territory)," the CNIL said in a statement. "The purpose of the notice is not to prohibit any advertising on the company’s services but, rather, to enable users to make their choice freely, having been properly informed of their rights." While the fines that can currently be levied by European data protection authorities are paltry compared to the revenues of big US tech companies, a new European Union data protection law set to enter into force in two years provides for fines of up to 4 per cent of a company's annual global turnover. David Heiner, vice-president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft, said the company would work closely with the CNIL over the next few months to understand its concerns fully and "to work toward solutions that it will find acceptable." The CNIL also said Microsoft was still illegally transferring data to the United States using the Safe Harbour framework, which was struck down by the top EU court in October on concerns about mass US surveillance practices. Companies have had to rely on alternative legal structures such as "standard contractual clauses" to move data across the Atlantic in line with tough EU data transferral rules. Heiner said Microsoft relied on a variety of legal mechanisms for transferring data from Europe to the United States, including standard contractual clauses. A new EU-US data transfer pact will be open to companies as of August 1 and Microsoft has said it will sign up to it. (Reuters)

France orders Microsoft to stop collecting excessive user data without consent

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