EAGLE SCOUT | ISSUE NO. 22-24

NEWS | Student data and grades compromised after McGraw Hill’s data breach

19 Dec 2022

USA – Online privacy company, vpnMentor, detected a data breach affecting files under the control of education publisher, McGraw Hill. It stated that the breach was not caused by a cyberattack, but by the company storing files on cloud storage buckets that were publicly accessible. The breach exposed more than 117 million files containing student email addresses and grades across North America. READ MORE

NEWS | Queensland University printers distributed ransomware notes after a cyberattack

22 Dec 2022

AUSTRALIA – Queensland University of Technology (QUT) shut down multiple IT systems after a ransomware attack caused campus printers to print out ransomware notes in bulk. The ransom note purports to be from "Royal ransomware" and threatens to publish "critical data" unless a "modest royalty" is paid. Students and staff have been notified of the incident. READ MORE

FEATURE | Privacy concerns surround Malawian government’s push to register children under 16 years of age

27 Dec 2022

MALAWI – With its National Registration Act having been enacted in 2010, all births, deaths, and marriages of adults over the age of 16 in Malawi need to be registered with the government. Right now, the state is pushing to register 8.4 million children under the age of 16 by 2023. A move that has raised concerns about privacy and surveillance. READ MORE

NEWS | University ordered to pay damages for using its student photograph without consent

28 Dec 2022

KENYA – A court has ruled that Machakos University violated its student’s fundamental right to privacy and human dignity by publishing her photograph for commercial purposes without her consent. The court ordered the university to pay damages and prohibited it from using the student’s image and likeness in its marketing or promotional activities without her prior consent. READ MORE

NEWS | NPC: No need for telcos to obtain consent when processing data for SIM card registration

31 Dec 2022

PHILIPPINES –  The National Privacy Commission (NPC) clarified with telcos that mobile phone users do not need to give their consent when registering their SIM cards. It ordered them to have a separate page for notices and tick boxes unrelated to SIM card registration and ensure the "secure, ethical and responsible handling" of data when complying with the law. READ MORE