Legal
Norway fines Microsoft ad firm $9.6 million over Grindr data sharing
Norway’s Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) has fined Xandr, a Microsoft-owned advertising company, $9.6M (NOK 92 million) for unlawfully processing and sharing sensitive data belonging to Grindr users in the country. The data protection authority said this is the largest fine it has ever issued. “We issued such a high fine in this case because the […]
Germany arrests alleged core Qilin ransomware member after extradition
Germany has arrested a Russian national suspected of being a leading member of the Qilin ransomware group following extradition from Japan earlier this month. Japan has confirmed the extradition to Germany, with the National Police Agency saying that the suspect was detained after arriving in the country as a tourist. “When a Russian national for […]
IQVIA fined $7.8 million for failing to properly anonymize health data
Italy’s Data Protection Authority (GPDP) has fined IQVIA €7 million ($7.8M) over poor data-processing practices that the agency says could have put roughly one million patients at risk of data exposure and de-anonymization. IQVIA is a multinational company that provides healthcare data analysis, technology, and clinical research services. The company claims on its website that […]
Sweden fines Miljödata $183,000 over breach affecting 2.2 million
Sweden’s data privacy regulator, IMY, has imposed a $183,000 (SEK 1.8 million) fine on IT systems provider Miljödata for inadequate security measures leading to a breach in August 2025 affecting 2.2 million people. Miljödata is a Swedish software company that develops and provides work environment and HR management systems used by 80% of Sweden’s municipal […]
Google fined €403 million over location data privacy violations
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has fined Google €403 million ($463M) for multiple GDPR violations related to processing users’ location data. The agency launched an investigation in February 2020 after receiving multiple complaints from consumer rights organizations. It examined three Google features that were active during the GDPR application period from May 25, 2018, through […]
IDScan sued over alleged data breach affecting 153 million drivers
Multiple lawsuits have been filed against identity verification company IDScan after hackers allegedly breached the service and offered to sell more than 153 million driver’s licenses. Several law firms, including Markovits, Stock & DeMarco, and Hall Attorneys, have also launched investigations into potential class-action litigation related to the reported security incident at IDScan. Brian Krebs originally reported on […]
French hospital fined €500,000 after breach exposes data of 727,000
France’s data protection authority (CNIL) has fined Hôpital privé de la Loire €500,000 ($580,000) for failing to adequately protect patients’ and their relatives’ data. The French agency says that the security failures led to a data breach in the summer of 2025, exposing sensitive data belonging to 524,867 patients and another 202,246 people designated as […]
68-year-old imprisoned after making $1.3 million by pirating IPTV services
A 68-year-old has been sentenced in the U.K. to more than six years in prison for operating an illegal IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) service that generated £980,812 ($1.3 million) over three years. An investigation by the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) at the City of London Police found that Milan Ibrahim ran a “sophisticated […]
TikTok reaches $400M settlement with US over COPPA violations
The U.S. Department of Justice announced a $400 million settlement with TikTok, ByteDance, and affiliated companies over allegations that they violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The TikTok social media platform, owned by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, allows users to create, watch, and share short-form videos. In 2024, the U.S. Department of […]
US charges Iranian hackers over $3.4 billion intellectual property theft
The U.S. has charged 17 Iranians, alleged members of a hacking-for-hire company called Mabna Institute, involved in years-long operations that stole data from American organizations. Nine of the defendants were previously charged in a March 2018 indictment for hacking more than 300 universities and private companies. The U.S. Justice Department (DoJ) has also announced rewards of up […]