Monthly Archives: October 2020

Samsung Group Chairman Dead at 78

An unfortunate death related to South Korea’s elite was announced on October 25th. It was revealed that Samsung Group Chairman, Lee Kun-Hee, had died at his home at the age of seventy-eight. Chairman Kun-Hee was the primary attribute associated with Samsung’s growth between 1968 to 2020. His development enabled a small trading business to become a powerhouse electronics manufacturer, which maintains millions of smartphones & televisions worldwide. Samsung also manufacturers home appliances for consumers worldwide.

Samsung Electronics would become an international corporation rivalling Apple & Google during the reign of Chairman Lee Kun-Hee. His fortune has been left in-question, with millions throughout Samsung wondering who will inherit the $21 billion net worth of Lee Kun-Hee. The wealth of this chairman will likely be left for his four children, three of whom hold strong positions within the Samsung Group. It should be noted that the Kun-Hee Family is the richest in South Korea.

The Samsung Group issued a formal statement regarding Chairman Kun-Hee’s passing. It was stated that family were bedside with Lee Kun-Hee into the late hours of October 25th. Sentiments of sadness were expressed by Samsung, evoking that his memory will be cherished for generations in South Korea. It was noted that since 2014, Lee Kun-Hee had been living in specialized care after experiencing a heart attack.

Legends of Kun-Hee

Samsung Chairman Kun-Hee was infamous throughout South Korea for changing his fathers trading firm into an electronic conglomerate. When the initial strategy for becoming an electronic corporation didn’t work, Chairman Kun-Hee would inform thousands of employees to change everything at Samsung except for their wives & children. What followed was 150+ thousand mobile phones from the 1990s being burned in a bonfire.

This decision cemented the legacy of Chairman Kun-Hee & is still told by thousands of South Koreans. However, after this decision, the Samsung Chairman would become a recluse & garner the nickname Hermit King. Reclusion of Lee Kun-Hee also followed after he was convicted twice of criminal charges, with the former South Korean President pardoning him of any prison time. His last public appearance was the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.

British Airways Fined £20m by ICO.

Nobody would’ve anticipated that British Airways would receive a fine valued at £20 Million during the coronavirus pandemic. This aviation firm has lost extensive profits throughout the epidemic, with losses entering volumes of bankruptcy. The epidemic was accounted for by the Information Commissioner’s Office when executing a fine towards British Airways. That £20 Million fine follows after the ICO located a data breach on servers maintained by British Airways. This data breach saw financial & personal information of 400+ thousand customers stolen.

The Information Commissioner’s Office clarified that financial punishments towards British Airways would’ve evoked £183 to £200 Million before the coronavirus pandemic. However, economic impacts associated with the pandemic have saved this airline financial burdens that would have been hard to overcome. It should be noted that for the Information Commissioner’s Office, the £20 Million fine issued is their most extensive to date. British Airways, in one instance, has been financially relieved from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Loss of consumer data wasn’t exclusively faulted of British Airways. Groups of international hackers-imposed dozens of attacks on BA Servers, then modifying what information they could & harvest customer details before being kicked-off by backup protocols. Outdated protocols meant that international hackers had prolonged periods to siphon information, which was known to British Airway’s Cybersecurity Research. It’d take 60-Days for that individual to inform executives that breaches had occurred, providing proof to an onslaught of complaints from targeted customers.

Cybersecurity Upgrades Required

Investigations into British Airways didn’t implicate the aviation corporation for being at-fault. The International Commissioner’s Office was investigating the security measures & multi-factor authentication enabled in the BA Severs. What was found by investigators was deemed unsatisfactory, meaning British Airways played a critical role in the data breach. Vital investments into server cybersecurity would’ve enabled more excellent protection for customer data.

It’s consistently been an issue that largescale corporations don’t regularly update their cybersecurity protocols. It’s not understood that regular enhancements are required to guarantee hackers don’t locate loopholes. Employing a cybersecurity firm for one project isn’t enough. Routine maintenance must also be accounted for when electing new protocols to servers. British Airways is expected to payout their £20 Million fine to the Information Commission’s Office by October 31st.

Holocaust Deniers Banned from Facebook


Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook has made updated conditions to the user terms, with the company making a formal announcement through their Founder & CEO. Mark Zuckerberg announced that updated policies had been implemented that explicitly ban Holocaust denial, which has grown throughout the hateful political climate. Zuckerberg emphasized that his understanding of banning posts & free speech is growing, that a correct balance is coming into effect.

Governments worldwide have implored Mark Zuckerberg to understand that freedom of speech can be detrimental to society. It means that the spreading of false information regarding historical events like genocide grows daily. In 2018, Mark Zuckerberg didn’t believe that banning posts regarding Holocaust denial was required & that these individuals were getting it wrong. Zuckerberg acknowledged two-years-ago that deniers would be informed of accurate historical information.

Sentiments from Mark Zuckerberg have now changed, with the Facebook Founder & Chief Executive Officer emphasizing his offence towards the growing number of Holocaust deniers. Millions were killed because of the hateful mentalities of the Nazi Army. When Mark Zuckerberg had initially declined to remove Holocaust denial posts on Facebook, his Jewish community shunned the CEO for turning his back against the community. After changing the policy, praise has been given by Jewish users that’ve experienced a backlash against their defences on Holocaust denial posts.

Mark Zuckerberg emphasized that his mindset & thinking has evolved in recent months, with Facebook data indicating Anti-Semitic violence is growing worldwide. Data also revealed that hate speech is increasing against multiple communities and that he’s begun considering policies that determine acceptable speech.

It should be mentioned that Facebook terminates hate speech regarding harmful stereotypes on race & gender. Zuckerberg was hoping to avoid implementing a similar measure against religious hatred, specifically Anti-Semitism. Multiple news agencies have questioned Facebook executives on this decision, including the VP of Content Policy. Monika Bicker expressed that an alarming level of ignorance regarding the Holocaust is growing amongst young communities & that it cannot be tolerated going forward. The Vice President of Content Policy promised Facebook users that reliable information regarding the Holocaust would be proved, in-replacement of Holocaust denial posts.

DPAH Fines H&M €35.3 Million for Illegal Surveillance


Several hundred employed personnel working for Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M Clothing) had their digital profiles illegally surveyed by international corporations. Excessive information was located by the “Data Protection Authority of Hamburg”. Records of employed personnel’s religious beliefs, extended family, and respective illnesses were documented against the will of several hundred employees. H&M was charged under the “General Data Protection Regulation of Europe” at €35.3 Million.

Hennes & Mauritz AB took full accountability of their illegal actions, confirming that employees will receive compensation for the crimes committed against them. H&M being fined €35.3 Million marks the 2nd large fines under the European Union’s GDPR Legislation. France’s CNIL issued a €50 Million fine onto Google for breaching consumer data. Largescale corporations worldwide are receiving backlash from international government, with the realization that these companies have collected the data of billions illegally & without a proper warrant.

Privacy Violations from H&M Clothing include the following:

  • Comprising staff surveys.
  • Details regarding holiday plans.
  • The demand for an illness diagnosis.
  • Information on medical symptoms.
  • Friendship access on employee’s social media.

Details regarding them several hundred employed personnel targeted in the illegal surveillance, shows that H&M Managers working under the Corporate Division were illegally requesting information that goes beyond obligatory data. DPAH clarified that throughout their investigation, it became notified that H&M Managers in specific locations were requesting data on family issues & religious beliefs. Exceptional cases also saw Managers contacting female or male staff with sexually targeted discussions.

The DPAH mentioned that Hennes & Mauritz AB – Corporate Division, showed despicable disregard for the allegations when first approached. The DPAH Head of Operations clarified that the €35.3 Million fine is justified, with Johannes Caspar hoping that it’ll evoke fear into other companies implementing similar tactics.

No apologies were made by Hennes & Mauritz Clothing, sentiments seemingly being unreserved & lacking on genuine sympathies. All that H&M Clothing could state was that all employed personnel at affected service centres would receive financial compensation. When questioned on their lack of care, H&M Clothing responded by saying forceful measures will be taken against Q3/Q4 shortcomings. This is threatening for affected employed personnel, who’ll likely lose their jobs.