Identity is Security: What Tech Companies Want

Privacy continues to dominate conversations, especially this week in the U.S., Representatives from AT&T, Amazon, Google, Twitter, Apple and Charter Communications went before Congress to share what they want out of a potential privacy law. These companies were vocal about not wanting a carbon copy of the GDPR in the U.S. and instead would prefer to have the ability to drive privacy rules on their own terms. Of course, we consumers want to control our privacy on our terms, so it will be interesting to see how this unfolds.

While the U.S. debates potential laws, one thing is clear: companies holding personal data will need to act as consumers get educated and lawmakers take notice. The reality is that personal data is running rampant, whether people are willingly giving it away or not. This is evidenced by a feature on Facebook, which allows advertisers to upload data collected offline to target you.

In breach news, there was a lot of activity this week as well. Chegg, a textbook rental company, reset 40 million user passwords after confirming a breach had occurred in April. On the flip side of that, FireFox launched FireFox Monitor this week to notify people when their credentials have been stolen.

The Marines are leveling up on their cybertraining. Starting next month, every new recruit will be given a cybersecurity test as they work to keep pace with modern combat strategies. This new process starts in tandem to October being Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and reflects the systemic shifts happening when it comes to security.

And finally, we leave you with a little bit of homework this week. A report from the American Consumer Institute Center for Citizen Research found that the firmware on about 83 percent of routers is not updated. Here is how to check yours for updates. And, if you still haven’t changed your old passwords, what are you waiting for?