Press Releases

In a 4-0 decision, the FTC agreed with CDD and a coalition of consumer, public health, and child advocay groups to reject calls from the online marketing lobby to delay the implementation of the new COPPA rules.   The decision can be read here.
 
Our coalition's oppostion to the industry request played an important role in the commission's decision.  It can be reviewed here.

Facebook and other online data collectors are able to continually gather and analyze the digital bits of behavior that make up our identities.  A new study entitled "Private traits and attributes are predictable from digital records of human behavior," via Cambridge and Microsoft Research researchers illustrate the social surveillance infrastructure Facebook and so many others have unleashed.   No one would willingly permit the FBI

As part of the comprehensive system of commercial surveillance tracking us 24/7 wherever we go and do, more companies are integrating offline and purchasing data with online information.  But when the largest commercial database of individuals around the world marries its user data with the ton of consumer records held by Acxiom, Epsilon, Bluekai and

Statement on Appointment of Edith Ramirez at Chair of the FTC by Jeff Chester, CDD

Statement of Jeff Chester:  The FTC's "Mobile Apps for Kids" report reveals a mobile app industry--which includes Apple, Google, ad networks, advertisers, app developers and trade associations--demonstrating contempt or indifference about protecting privacy.  Since what the FTC found was focused on children, it only compounds the problem.  The industry was given advance notice by the Commission that it would issue a follow-up to its Feb.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 6, 2012
 
New Survey Reveals Strong Support for Updating Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
Majority express concerns about new marketing and data-collection practices such as behavioral profiling and mobile tracking
 

CDD statement on today's FTC COPPA proposal.

Today, CDD, Consumers Union and a coalition of leading child advocacy, health, consumer and privacy groups sent a letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.  The letter discusses the safeguards required to ensure Facebook `does no harm' to young people if it decides to open its platform to children (in order to comply with COPPA, etc).

FTC Makes Advances Protecting the Privacy of Americans in Big Data Era, with Call for Congress to Rein-in Data Brokers

But major concerns loom as report leaves consumers vulnerable to widespread data collection and tracking.   Battles ahead as consumer group presses for action

Statement of Jeff Chester, Executive Director, Center for Digital Democracy