Digital Privacy

When Google changed its privacy policy last year--integrating more than 60 separate policies into one giant `we can collect everything' statement--EU officals and many US privacy advocates argued that the company was actually weakening what little protections  users had when dealing with the online ad giant.  CDD asked the FTC to investigate Google's approach as "unfair and deceptive," since it was offered as a privacy enhancing approach--but its real goal, of course, was to enable Google to assemb

When does a really big rationalization of a really big lie become reality?  That's one of the questions the public should be asking the US online ad and data collection lobby.  Over the last few weeks, in either a odd expression of denial or demonstrating incredible digital "chutzpah," the Digital Ad Alliance (basically representing every big company online and off) has claimed that:

Statement of Jeff Chester, CDD Exec Director, in response to the DAA announcement today saying its members will not honor Do Not Track requests from consumers using Microsoft and other browsers designed with privacy by design safeguards:
 

CDD and EPIC submitted this letter to the FTC today.  Both groups have had a long history of monitoring Facebook's privacy and online data-related marketing practices.  We have both worked to ensure that the FTC and other regulators engage in the due diligence required to ensure Facebook respects the privacy rights of its users.
 

There's so much that should have been said about the mobile environment at yesterday's White House led privacy meeting organized by the NTIA.  Sadly, the Administration failed to take responsibility to ensure that all the issues are presented early and fairly.  Many consumer groups have been concerned about the Department of Commerce's role in the process--especially whether they would place the interests of business ahead of consumers/general public.  The NTIA choose low hanging "fruit loops" in the mobile space by focusing on so-called transparency.  The

Yesterday's NTIA stakeholder meeting failed to address the actual mobile marketing data collection practices consumers confront in both the "app" and overall mobile/geo-location market.  Neither the industry nor the Department of Commerce appears interested in ensuring that the public actually knows about the issues and practices that should be addressed in any "code of conduct" to protect consumers using mobile devices and related applications.  C

When CDD reviewed the proposed Facebook Sponsored Stories settlement it was clear it failed to address how marketing and targeting on the social network really works.  It also didn't do anything to ensure that parents and teens have the control they require over the Sponsored Story process and its inter-related series of premium ad pr

This letter was sent today to Lawrence Strickling, Ass't Sec of Commerce, as well as The White House.  Despite our best efforts to encourage the Commerce Department to ensure that people across the country can meaningfully participate in the first key stakeholder meeting scheduled for 12 July, the agency has failed to embrace an effective means to do so.  Over the last few weeks we did get the Commerce people to change their plans to allow some outside of the Beltway involvement--but in a very limited way.  The groups previous