If you ever took Psychology 101, you probably heard the term “flashbulb memory” which references a powerfully clear, distinct and detailed remembrance. It supposes that a moment in time might be captured as if it were bathed in the bright light of a camera’s flashbulb so that the scene may be saved by the mind’s eye, in near-pristine exactness. In 2019, while people of my generation need to explain to the younger generation what a camera’s flashbulb is, the younger generation continues to show their elders the evermore clever ways to stay digitally connected in a hyper-connected world. You see, flashbulb memories typically stick in our brains because there is some consequence associated with the event. Similarly, there can be consequences to hyper-connectivity.

Because we connect digitally more these days and such technological advances can go from wacky to wicked, governments around the world have been spurred to pump the proverbial breaks on data processing. Notably, one year ago, Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation assumed its position as the standard bearer of data privacy regulations.

Since then, for those tuned into the subject of data privacy regulations (like VENZA),
there have been a handful of “flashbulb memories”. They are:

28 June, 2018: CCPA: 
The California Consumer Privacy Act is a bill that enhances privacy rights and consumer protection for residents of the State of California, US.

17 July, 2018:
Portuguese hospital receives €400,000 fine for GDPR infringement.

14 August, 2018:
Brazil approves their General Data Protection Law (LGPD).

11 September, 2018:
Radisson Hotel Group becomes aware of a data breach that impacts 1400 hotels. Radisson Rewards loyalty members were informed on October 30, 2018.

19 November, 2018:
Marriott discovers a data breach of a Starwood database containing the details of guests. Early reports suspected as many as 500 million guests were affected. Now, the estimate is 383 million.

23 November, 2018:
The European Data Protection Board issues guidelines on territorial scope to assist a world seeking to understand what organizations may be affected by GDPR.

29 November, 2018:
German social media company, Knuddels, is fined €20,000 failing to report a breach in accordance with GDPR.

13 December, 2018:
Privacy Bill 2018 introduced to New Zealand’s lawmakers as a replacement for their 1993 Privacy Act.

15 January, 2019:
The European Data Protection Board claims that more than 42,230 complaints have been lodged across Europe.

21 January, 2019:
French authorities fine Google €50 million for GDPR infringement.

24 January, 2019:
CISCO 2019 Data Privacy Benchmark Study is published with many surprising revelations such as “Another tangible benefit from GDPR readiness is that it appears to lower the frequency and impact of data breaches.”

26 March, 2019:
A Polish data processor is fined €220,000 for GDPR infringement.

Find out more HERE.