Digital Privacy

May 10 was the deadline for Comments to USTR on what the U.S. agenda should be for the upcoming Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiation.   CDD urged USTR not include issues involving digital privacy on the agenda, and to respect the need for both the US and EU to further address their own data protection frameworks.

We agreed to keep talking---that's the real extent of the progress. We believe there is good will to collectively move forward.  But industry--and the WC3 leadership--must show they are meaningfully committed to help protect the privacy of individuals online.

Second in a series from leading U.S. privacy and consumer NGOs on the failure of U.S. law and regulation to protect privacy.

A series of the failure of U.S. privacy policies to protect consumers. The first paper was written by CDD on the failure of self-regulation.  The second was written by the ACLU and Friends of Privacy, USA.

Global consumers, including in the U.S., should be grateful that a joint legal action by 6 European privacy regulators against Google seeks to protect their privacy.   France, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Germany and Spain are the Data Protection authorities involved.
 

The Internet Association is yet another well-funded special interest lobby group created to push the agenda of the digital data collection industry.  While it frames its work as "Protecting Internet Freedom," its real role is to act as a political defense mechanism for the industry.  When it serves their interests, it will fight against repressive proposals and policies that impact Internet users and their own role as conduits and provid

The Direct Marketing Association has not played a positive role in the debate over privacy.  For example, it (absurdly) has worked to exempt all the forms of data collection marketers do from the proposed Do Not Track safeguard.   As it plans for its big Washington, DC conference, look at how it frames the problem:
 

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

CDD has obtained a Yahoo! lobbying document being given to EU policymakers.  Yahoo! is working to undermine pending legislative proposals that would significantly strengthen the rights EU citizens have regarding the collection and use of their information.  Entiled "Yahoo!

The Better Business Bureau is a member of the Digital Advertising Alliance (DMA, IAB, 4As, ANA).  Yet they are responsible somehow for evaluating how companies comply with the icon-based privacy program adopted by the commercial data marketing industry.  We have raised concerns about the efficacy of the icon.  The BBB just approved Facebook's use of the icon for its far-reaching data targeting system known as the Facebook Exchange.  Already barely viewable, the tiny icons are to be used by Facebook via a