Privacy

Facebook Spending Millions to Make Friends in Washington

April 24, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>The social network increased its lobbying budget to $2.45 million in the first quarter.</strong></p> <p>Facebook is spending fast and furious to advance a social-network-friendly agenda with U.S. lawmakers.</p>

Regulators Close Exide Technologies Car Battery Recycler in Vernon; Cite Cancer Risk, Contaminated Soil

April 24, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The <a href="http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/">California Department of Toxic Substances Control</a> has shut down a battery recycling plant in Vernon whose own investigation revealed that it’s contaminating the soil around it. <a href="http://www.exide.com/">Exide Technologies</a> recycles 22 million car batteries a year at its Vernon plant. The DTSC said Wednesday that it has suspended Exide’s operating permit.</p>

California Suspends Operations at Vernon Battery Recycler

April 24, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Toxics regulators say Exide Technologies has been releasing hazardous waste into the soil beneath its plant because of a degraded pipeline.</b></p> <p>tate regulators took the highly unusual step Wednesday of suspending operations at a Vernon battery recycler that has discharged harmful quantities of lead for years and more recently has been deemed to pose a danger to as many as 110,000 people because of arsenic emissions.</p>

Google Ending Privacy Breach Consumer Watchdog Targeted in FTC Complaint

April 23, 2013  ·  John M. Simpson

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2639" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/images_googleplay.jpg" style="width: 191px; height: 191px; float: right;" width="191" height="191" />Google apparently is ending an egregious privacy breach involving people who buy apps from its Google Play store using Google Wallet to pay.

Privacy Groups to FTC: Don’t Delay Coppa – Orgs Accuse IAB, Apps Alliance of Stalling Implementation

April 23, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The Federal Trade Commission is getting quite an earful over the pending July 1 implementation date for the updates to the children's online privacy laws. On Monday, a request for a six-month delay made recently by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and the Applications Developers Alliance turned into a war of letters, one from 19 privacy groups opposing any delay, and the other from 19 organizations advocating the delay.</p>

Digital Ad Biz to Defend Self-Regulation at Do Not Track Hearing

April 22, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong><span class="subheadline">Privacy Groups Complain Progress Is Too Slow</span></strong></p> <p><span class="subheadline">T</span>he Do Not Track privacy hearing called by Sen. Jay Rockefeller for Wednesday before the commerce committee is bound to feature some fireworks.</p>

The Circuit: Do Not Track

April 22, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Several consumer privacy groups said Monday that they support a bill from Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that would require the Federal Trade Commission to set standards for companies to ensure they will offer consumers the ability to opt-out of online tracking.</p> <p>The Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action, Consumer Watchdog, the Consumer Federation of America, the Privacy Rights Clearing house and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group have all said they support the bill.</p>

Will California Let The Kochs Take Over The LA Times?

April 21, 2013  ·  Jamie Court

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2635" alt="" class="insert right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/images_jamie-braggpainting_01.jpg" style="width: 150px; height: 225px; float: right;" width="200" height="300" />The <a href="http://http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/business/media/koch-brothers-making-play-for-tribunes-newspapers.html?hp">New York Times report today </a>that the Koch brothers have moved closer to purchasing The Los Angeles Times sent shivers through Angelenos like me who cling to Thomas Jefferson’s admonition about the importance of the freedom of the press.<br /> <br />

EU’s Google Antitrust Deal Beats FTC, But Still Doesn’t Do Enough

April 15, 2013  ·  John M. Simpson

<p><img class=" alignright size-full wp-image-2571" alt="" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/images_europe_flag.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 136px; float: right;" width="443" height="301" />Details of Google's proposed settlement with the European Union to avoid antitrust charges <a data-mce-="" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/15/technology/google-and-europe-reach-deal-on-search-results.html?_r=0">have been leaking out of Brussels </a>over the weekend.

Microsoft Skewers Google For Giving Your Personal Data To App Developers

April 9, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/microsoft">Microsoft</a> is skewering <a class="hidden_link" href="http://www.businessinsider.com/blackboard/google">Google</a> again with scathing ads that say as much about the dramatic shift in the technology industry's competitive landscape as they do about the animosity between the two rivals.</p>

The 5 Biggest Online Privacy Threats of 2013

April 8, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Your online life may not <em>seem</em> worth tracking as you browse websites, store content in the cloud, and post updates to social networking sites. But the data you generate is a rich trove of information that says more about you than you realize—and it’s a tempting treasure for marketers and law enforcement officials alike.</p>

6 Euro Nations Scream at Google Over Privacy

April 3, 2013  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>Google said last year that streamlining its privacy policies would make for simpler, better services. All the company has done, however, is complicate its relationship with six key EU members who are now joining forces to take legal action against Google over user data. Neither side is backing down at the moment, although it's unclear whether the threat of business restrictions or fines would have much of an impact on the search giant.</strong></p>