Latest news with #dataprotection
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Indonesia brushes off concern on data transfer to the US
Some American companies complained Indonesia's QRIS digital payment system did not benefit their operations. (QRIS Indonesia pic) JAKARTA : Indonesia on Thursday denied warnings that the transfer of personal data agreed in a trade deal with the US this week would put people's rights at risk. After weeks of negotiations, the White House said that it had reached an agreement with Jakarta that lowered tariffs on US-bound goods from the Southeast Asian nation, from 32% to 19%. US President Donald Trump said the reduction was in return for significant purchase commitments from Jakarta, including the purchase of 50 Boeing jets. The White House said Tuesday that Indonesia had also committed to removing barriers that impact digital trade and will provide certainty regarding the transfer of personal data to the US. Jakarta said negotiations on the details continued to be held. But experts warned the personal data transfer to a foreign country would be a further drain on Indonesia's already weak data protection apparatus. 'If there's a leak or improper use of the data, solving the problem would be a lot more complicated if the data is in another country,' Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara, executive director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies. He said some American companies had been complaining about the Indonesian digital payment system, Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard, or QRIS, which they believed did not benefit their companies. With the tariff deal, the companies can access citizens' data, Bhima said. 'I don't know if the government is aware of how serious this is. We open all access to our data just for a lower tariff.' However, Jakarta reassured that the system was safe. 'The government assures that the data transfer to the US will not be carried out carelessly,' said digital communication minister Meutia Hafidz in a statement Thursday. 'On the contrary, the whole process will be conducted within a secure and reliable data governance framework.' She added that 'the data transfer between countries would still be carried out under the tight supervision of the Indonesian authorities, with high caution, based on the national law.'
Washington Post
6 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Can a parking ticket from a vacation abroad follow you home?
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Forbes
7 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Microsoft Can't Keep EU Data Safe From US Authorities
The French Senate (Photo by Samir Hussein - Pool/WireImage) Microsoft has admitted that it can't protect EU data from U.S. snooping. In sworn testimony before a French Senate inquiry into the role of public procurement in promoting digital sovereignty, Anton Carniaux, Microsoft France's director of public and legal affairs, was asked whether he could guarantee that French citizen data would never be transmitted to U.S. authorities without explicit French authorization. And, he replied, "No, I cannot guarantee it." He said that the company resisted requests from the US authorities "when they are not well-founded", but that under the U.S. Cloud Act, U.S. companies can be forced to hand over data, regardless of where it is stored. Carniaux did say that the situation had never arisen. However, the admission raises serious concerns around European data sovereignty. 'Microsoft has openly admitted what many have long known: under laws like the Cloud Act, US authorities can compel access to data held by American cloud providers, regardless of where that data physically resides. UK or EU servers make no difference when jurisdiction lies elsewhere, and local subsidiaries or 'trusted' partnerships don't change that reality," commented Mark Boost, CEO of cloud provider Civo. 'This is more than a technicality. It is a real-world issue that can impact national security, personal privacy and business competitiveness." The inquiry centers around Project Bleu - a partnership between Microsoft, Orange and Capgemini. There were concerns about the Health Data Hub medical research platform, which is hosted on Microsoft Azure. Senate members said they couldn't be sure that the two platforms were sufficiently separated, and that sensitive health data wouldn't be shared. Carniaux's admission will increase concerns that the EU can't afford to be reliant on the big U.S. cloud providers such as Microsoft and AWS - even when they claim to be offering sovereign cloud services. 'The French Senate has set a precedent by demanding answers, and the UK and Europe have an opportunity to do the same," said Boost. "We're already seeing a shift towards building homegrown solutions that support true data sovereignty rather than data residency." However, a recent European Parliament report found that U.S. firms account for 69% of the cloud infrastructure market share in Europe, while EU suppliers hold only 13%.
ABC News
21-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Elon Musk's X says it won't cooperate with 'politically motivated' French probe
Elon Musk's X has accused French prosecutors of launching a "politically-motivated criminal investigation" that threatens its users' free speech, denying all allegations against it and saying it would not cooperate with the probe. Earlier this month, Paris prosecutors stepped up a preliminary probe into the social media platform for suspected algorithmic bias and fraudulent data extraction, authorising police to conduct searches, wire taps and surveillance against Mr Musk and X executives, or summon them to testify. If they do not comply, a judge could issue an arrest warrant. "Based on what we know so far, X believes that this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech," the social network posted on its Global Government Affairs account. "For these reasons, X has not acceded to the French authorities' demands, as we have a legal right to do." It was not immediately clear what sort of request prosecutors had sent to X, but failure to comply with a judicial request can range from a fine to obstruction of justice charges. The Paris prosecutors' office did not respond to a request for comment. X said the probe had been instigated by Eric Bothorel, a French lawmaker, who had accused X of "manipulating its algorithm for 'foreign interference' purposes", an allegation it said was "completely false". Mr Bothorel, in a statement, defended the independence of the French judiciary. "It's a concept that seems completely up-ended in the United States at the moment," he said, adding that France was committed to free speech but not without limits. Musk, a former ally of US President Donald Trump, has accused European governments of attacking free speech and has voiced support for some of the region's far-right parties. The French probe could deepen a rift between Washington and European capitals over what sort of discourse is permitted online, with senior US officials alleging the censoring of right-wing voices around the world. The European Commission has been investigating X for breaching its digital transparency rules against illegal content, known as the Digital Services Act, since late 2023. The social media giant X said Paris prosecutors had requested it hand over data on all user posts for analysis by researchers David Chavalarias and Maziyar Panahi, who it said had both exhibited "open hostility towards X". Mr Chavalarias did not respond to a request for comment. Mr Panahi denied any involvement in the investigation. "My name was mentioned by mistake, based on my previous research projects with David Chavalarias, none of which have ever had any hostile intent toward X," he said in an email. "The fact my name has been mentioned in such an erroneous manner demonstrates how little regard they have for the lives of others … I will not hesitate to pursue legal action for defamation should I receive any form of hate speech." X did not respond to a request for comment on Mr Panahi's statement. It also criticised the fact that it was being investigated under organised crime charges, which could allow police to wire tap its employees' personal devices. Reuters
Russia Today
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
X blasts French criminal probe as ‘politically motivated'
Social media network X has accused the French authorities of a 'politically motivated criminal investigation,' over a probe launched against the platform for alleged algorithm manipulation and 'fraudulent data extraction.' X's Global Government Affairs team said on Monday that the investigation was instigated by Eric Bothorel, a French MP and member of President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party. The probe itself kicked off in January after Bothorel and another senior French official alleged that the company's algorithm was being used for the purposes of 'foreign interference.' X has denied all of the accusations against it. Bothorel has previously been critical of X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, claiming that the network spreads 'an enormous amount of hateful, racist, anti-LGBT+ and homophobic political content' which allegedly influences France's political discourse. According to the platform, French authorities had asked X to grant them a 'recommendation algorithm and real-time data about all user posts' to be handed over to experts who were overtly hostile to the platform. X also protested being investigated as an 'organized gang,' a classification that allows French police to use extensive powers, including wiretapping employees' devices. The platform stressed it has refused the authorities' demands. X remains in the dark as to the specific allegations made against the platform. However, based on what we know so far, X believes that this investigation is distorting French law in order to serve a political agenda and, ultimately, restrict free speech. The probe echoes another high-profile case in France involving Telegram founder Pavel Durov. The Russian-born tech billionaire was arrested in the country last summer and charged with offenses linked to Telegram's handling of illegal content, including child exploitation material and narcotics trafficking. Durov has dismissed the allegations as 'baseless.' Commenting on the reports on X being in the crosshairs of the French authorities, Durov accused Paris of pursuing a 'crusade' against free speech and progress itself while warning that the probe could end up damaging the French economy.
