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  • Contextual Advertising—Now Driven by AI and Machine Learning—Requires Regulatory Review for Privacy and Marketing Fairness

    By: Jeff Chester | Mar 11 2021

    Contextual Advertising—Now Driven by AI and Machine Learning—Requires Regulatory Review for Privacy and Marketing Fairness

    What’s known as contextual advertising is receiving a big boost from marketers and some policymakers, who claim that it provides a more privacy-friendly alternative to the dominant global surveillance-based “behavioral” marketing model. Google’s plans to eliminate cookies and other third-party trackers used for much of online ad delivery are also spurring greater interest in contextual marketing, which is being touted especially as safe for children.

    Authors

    Jeff Chester
    Date

    Wednesday, March 10, 2021
    Read more
  • The Whole World will Still be Watching You: Google & Digital Marketing Industry “Death-of-the-Cookie” Privacy Initiatives Require Scrutiny from Public Policymakers

    By: Jeffrey Chester | Feb 18 2021

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    The Whole World will Still be Watching You:

    Google & Digital Marketing Industry “Death-of-the-Cookie” Privacy Initiatives Require Scrutiny from Public Policymakers

    Jeff Chester

    Authors

    Jeffrey Chester
    Date

    Thursday, February 18, 2021
    Read more
  • Why Californians Should Vote No on Proposition 24

    By: Katharina Kopp | Sep 24 2020

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    The Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) announced today its opposition to the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), also known as Proposition 24, which will appear on the November 2020 California general election ballot. CDD has concluded that Prop 24 does not sufficiently strengthen Californians’ privacy and may, in fact, set a new, low, and thus dangerous standard for privacy protection in the U.S.

    Authors

    Katharina Kopp
    Read more
  • Joint civil society statement: States use of digital surveillance technologies to fight pandemic must respect human rights

    Apr 2 2020

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    Joint civil society statement: States use of digital surveillance technologies to fight pandemic must respect human rights 2 April 2020

    The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health emergency that requires a coordinated and large-scale response by governments worldwide. However, States’ efforts to contain the virus must not be used as a cover to usher in a new era of greatly expanded systems of invasive digital surveillance.

    Read more
  • Platforms, Privacy, Pandemic and Data Profiteering: The COVID-19 crisis further fuels unaccountable growth from the digital tech and media industries

    Mar 31 2020

    By Jeffrey Chester

    The COVID-19 pandemic is a profound global public health crisis that requires our upmost attention: to stem its deadly tide and rebuild the global health system so we do not experience such a dire situation in the future. It also demands that we ensure the U.S. has a digital media system that is democratic, accountable, and one that both provides public services and protects privacy.

    Read more
  • The Google Fitbit Deal: Hazardous to Competition, Privacy, and the Future of Our Health

    By: Jeff Chester | Feb 7 2020

    Google’s (i.e., Alphabet, Inc.) proposed acquisition of Fitbit, a leading health wearable device company, is just one more piece illustrating how the company is actively engaged in shaping the future of public health.

    Read more
  • Digital Marketing, Personal Information and Political Campaigns: Advocates should press for policy reforms and not leave it to the “experts”

    By: Jeff Chester | Jan 15 2020

    A new report on how political marketing insiders and platforms such as Facebook view the “ethical” issues raised by the role of digital marketing in elections illustrates why advocates and others concerned about election integrity should make this issue a public-policy priority. We cannot afford to leave it in the hands of “Politech” firms and political campaign professionals, who appear unable to acknowledge the consequences to democracy of their unfettered use of powerful data-driven online-marketing applications.

    Read more
  • Why it’s Google that deserves the anger of YouTubers

    Nov 27 2019

    In the aftermath of Google’s settlement with the FTC over its COPPA violations, some independent content producers on YouTube have expressed unhappiness with the decision. They are unclear how to comply with COPPA, and believe their revenue will diminish considerably.

    Read more
  • Take Action to Protect the Privacy of Children Now

    Nov 20 2019

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    Big Tech companies are lobbying to undermine the only federal online privacy law in the US – one which protects children--and we need your help to stop them. Along with the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), we ask for your help to urge the Federal Trade Commission to strengthen—not weaken—the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Please sign this petition because your voice is essential to a future where children’s privacy is protected from marketers and others.

    Read more
  • FTC complaints filed by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and Center for Digital Democracy lead to major changes for kids on YouTube

    Oct 8 2019

    Most parents can tell you the most popular website for kids is YouTube. But for years, while Google made millions luring children to YouTube, vacuuming up their sensitive information, and using it to target them with ads, Google told the Big Lie: “YouTube is not for kids. It says so right in our terms of service.”

    That has now changed, thanks to the advocacy of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and the support of a coalition of advocacy groups.

    Read more
  • The FTC’s Google/YouTube decision on children's privacy & digital marketing brings new safeguards, opportunities—and questions

    By: Jeff Chester | Sep 11 2019

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    Sub-title

    Key new COPPA related policies won as groups vow to hold Google, marketers, FTC accountable

    I played a key role helping get the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) passed by Congress in 1998 (when I was executive director of the Center for Media Education). Since then, I have tried to ensure that the country’s only federal law addressing commercial privacy online was taken seriously.

    Authors

    Jeff Chester
    Read more
  • CDD Memo to FTC on Facebook Consent Decree Violations--2013

    By: Jeff Chester | Aug 2 2019

    Sub-title

    FTC has long ignored how market operates-it still does in 2019
    Read more
  • What FTC needs to do to address Google/YouTube violations of kids privacy law

    By: Jeff Chester | Jul 22 2019

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    Sub-title

    If FTC 3-2 decision does not include the following serious remedies, as listed below, it has failed to be effective protecting children & enforcing the law

    Proposed Consent Order Penalties and Conditions

    The FTC should seek a 20-year consent decree which includes the following forms of relief:

    Injunctive relief

    Read more
  • Time to Legislate COPPA 2.0

    By: Jeff Chester | Jul 17 2019

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    Sub-title

    FTC's Proposed COPPA Review comes too late; Agency cannot be relied on to protect youth, families

    Today, the FTC announced plans to review the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) rules.  CDD and allies successfully campaigned to have the law's rules expanded in 2012, to ensure that the privacy of children 12 and under was better protected in today's "Big Data" driven cross-device environment.

    Read more
  • Center for Digital Democracy’s Principles for U.S. Privacy Legislation

    By: Katharina Kopp | Oct 9 2018

    The Center for Digital Democracy provides the following recommendations for comprehensive baseline Federal privacy legislation. We are building on our expertise addressing digital marketplace developments for more than two decades, including work leading to the enactment of the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act--the only federal online privacy law in the United States. Our recommendations are also informed by our long-standing trans-Atlantic work with consumer and privacy advocates in Europe, as well as the General Data Protection Regulation.

    Read more
  • Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, Google, the GDPR and Digital Marketers: Will Big Brands and Advertisers Pull the Plug that has Erased Privacy?

    By: Jeff Chester | Mar 30 2018

    A digital “great awakening” has occurred with unprecedented global attention given to the commercial surveillance business model at the core of our collective digital experience.

    Read more
  • AT&T, Comcast & Verizon Expand “Big Data” Tracking & Targeting of Consumers

    By: Jeff Chester | Mar 8 2018


    Read more
  • Canadians Advance Bill to Limit the Marketing of Unhealthy Foods to Children, Including Online

    By: Katharina Kopp | Feb 20 2018


    Read more
  • The Role of Digital Marketing in Political Campaigns

    By: Jeff Chester | Jan 20 2018

    Computational politics—the application of digital targeted-marketing technologies to election campaigns in the US and elsewhere—are now raising the same concerns for democratic discourse and governance that they have long raised for consumer privacy and welfare in the commercial marketplace. This paper examines the digital strategies and technologies of today’s political operations, explaining how they were employed during the most recent US election cycle, and exploring the implications of their continued use in the civic context.

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    Read more
  • Big Cable Companies Track & Target You via TV, Mobile, PC

    By: Jeff Chester | Nov 1 2017

    Learn about NCC Digital Media: the primary source for reaching consumers across all screens, helping brands target consumers across all screens. 

    ncc digital 1

    ncc digital 2

    Read more

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What Is The CDD


The Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) is recognized as one of the leading digital rights, consumer protection, and privacy organizations in the United States. For nearly two decades, CDD has been at the forefront of research, public education, and advocacy on behalf of citizens, consumers, communities, and youth.

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Copyright © 2018 Center for Digital Democracy. All Rights Reserved. | Website by J. Sean Walker (link is external)