Digital Privacy

The key EU privacy regulator Article 29 Working Party meets this week and will adopt a decision on the IAB self-regulation plan.  Today, the leading EU consumer group BEUC (a consortium of all major EU groups and a key member of the US/EU consumer group TACD) sent the attached letter.  It strongly criticizes the IAB self-regulatory system. 

Sen Al Franken (D-Mn) sent a letter today to Carrier IQ "that has apparently been installed on millions of smartphones and that logs and may transmit sensitive information – including users’ locations, the websites they visit, and the contents of their text messages and online searches – to explain exactly what the software records, whether it is transmitted to Carrier IQ or any third party, and whether the data is protected against security threats that could risk the safety and privacy of American consumers."

Statement of Jeff Chester:

Bravo to EPIC and the other groups for taking this important position on the need for Facebook to truly respect the privacy of its users.  Read the letter and complaint. 

Earlier this week, the data collection and advertising lobby and its supporters [inc. Chamber of Commerce] urged the Senate to do nothing to protect U.S. consumer privacy.  The trade groups want self-regulation to remain as the key framework--even though it has been a failure for more than a decade.  Leading NGO's wrote to the Senate Commerce Committee today, urging them to pass legislation that will protect the public.  

Privacy groups asked the FTC to investigate and remedy the latest privacy intrusion by Facebook--its use of facial recognition analysis without meaningful consumer privacy control.

Eleven Privacy and Civil Liberties Groups Urge U.S.
to Uphold Privacy Values in E.U. Negotiations

U.S. groups call on E.U. allies to press for strong privacy protections

See attached filing.