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.

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.

Subject: Which digital privacy proposals in Congress make the grade?

Nov. 21, 2019

Contact: David Rosen, drosen@citizen.org, (202) 588-7742

Susan Grant, sgrant@consumerfed.org, (202) 387-6121

Caitriona Fitzgerald, fitzgerald@epic.org, (617) 945-8409

Katharina Kopp, kkopp@democraticmedia.org, (202) 836-4621

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.

FOR RELEASE

July 26, 2019

Consumer Privacy Organizations to Challenge Facebook Settlement

Statement from Groups

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“The Settlement Fails to Provide Meaningful Relief to Facebook Users”

WASHINGTON, DC – Many of the nation’s leading consumer privacy organizations are urging a federal court in Washington, DC to consider public comments before finalizing a proposed settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and Facebook.

For years, consumer and privacy advocates attempted to get the Federal Trade Commission to act responsibly when it came to ensuring that the digital giants treated the public fairly, including their privacy.  Since the mid-1990's, when I first started working to press the commission to be more responsive to the threats to autonomy and fairness triggered by the unrelenting and stealth gathering of all of our personal information (often working with EPIC), I was confronted by an agency which was so cautious, it blinded itself to the problems.  The agency has never been able to address the rol

Curbing Companies’ Bad Behavior Will Require Stronger Data Privacy Laws and a New Federal Data Privacy Agency

Federal Privacy Laws Are Antiquated and Need Updating; New Data Privacy Legislation Must Include Civil Rights Protections and Enhanced Punishments for Violations

A coalition of 22 consumer and public health advocacy groups called on the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) to investigate the preschool app market. The advocates’ letter urges the FTC to hold app makers accountable for unfair and deceptive practices, including falsely marketing apps that require in-app purchases as “free” and manipulating children to watch ads and make purchases.

October 1, 2018

Chairman John Thune

Ranking Member Bill Nelson

Senate Commerce Committee

Washington, DC

Dear Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson,

We appreciate your interest in consumer privacy and the hearing you convened recently to explore this topic.