Today in TechREG, regulators in Australia have received a formal complaint against the biggest retailers in the country for using a facial recognition technology that they said is “unreasonable intrusive.” A French regulator is facing backlash due to its Binance decision. China is seeking feedback on some draft rules and provisions affecting anti-monopoly governance in preparation for a bigger reform of the antitrust rules that is expected in August. Google is endorsing a proposed bill in the U.S. that would make government demands for data more difficult.
Australian Regulator Looks Into Retailers’ Facial Recognition Technology
Three of Australia’s biggest retail chains have been referred to the privacy regulator by a major consumer group which has said they use “unreasonably intrusive” facial recognition technology on customers. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner said it is reviewing the complaint, which argues that the three companies collect personal and sensitive information without consent.
EU Lawmaker Questions France’s Approval of Crypto Exchange Binance
The French markets regulator, Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), is facing a backlash over its decision to approve cryptocurrency exchange Binance last month, with one lawmaker describing the agency’s decision as “incomprehensible,” the Financial Times (FT) reported. Aurore Lalucq, French MEP and member of the European parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, has urged the AMF to review its May ruling, which she said gave Binance a “guarantee of respectability.” Binance has received a not-so-warm welcome in several EU countries that have denied a license to the crypto exchange over concerns related to its policies.
China Seeks Feedback on Proposed Anti-Monopoly Governance Rules
China’s market regulator published draft rules and provisions Monday (June 27) aimed at improving its ability to govern antitrust behavior, as the country prepares to implement a revised anti-monopoly law in August, Reuters reported. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said it wanted to seek public comment for its proposals, which range from descriptions on what deals could be perceived as monopolistic to regulations governing how local authorities with the power to restrict competition should behave.
Google Endorses Bill to Limit Government Data Demands
Ken Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, wrote an opinion on the company’s blog sending a message to the government that citizens should know who has access to their data, even if it is the government who demands access to it. In the post, Walker commended the bipartisan House passage of the NDO (non-disclosure orders) Fairness Act, a bill that would make improvements to the Stored Communications Act.
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