Privacy

Viewpoints: ‘Do Not Track’ Would Protect Online Privacy

May 5, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Why should iPhone and Android users have to worry about being spied on by their smart phones? Shouldn't we be able to say no to some of California's biggest companies, Google and Facebook, when they violate our privacy daily by tracking us online and collecting massive amounts of our private information without our explicit consent?</p> <p> Article 1 of California's Constitution broadly declares privacy is among our inalienable rights, but our privacy laws have not kept pace with the Digital Age. Our telephone calls cannot be recorded without our permission.</p>

California Bill Clears Committee After Nation’s First Legislative Hearing on Do-Not-Track

May 5, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> A California do-not-track bill squeaked through its first test after what supporters called the country's first legislative hearing on the subject. The state Senate Judiciary Committee late Tuesday approved SB-761 by Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, in a 3-2 vote on party lines. "Partisanship applies" when consumer protection and industry interest conflict, Director Beth Givens of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse told us Wednesday.<br /> <br />

California’s Do Not Track Law Takes a Step Forward

May 5, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <b>California is a step closer to getting the first Do Not Track legislation in the U.S., aimed at protecting Internet users from invasive advertising.</b></p> <p> California is a step closer to getting the first Do Not Track legislation in the U.S., aimed at protecting Internet users from invasive advertising.</p>

California Do-Not-Track Web Privacy Law Moves Forward

May 4, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <b>Browser Alone Isn't Tough Enough</b></p> <p> Companies trading online in California could soon be forced by law to give consumers the right not to be tracked across the web.</p> <p> State politicians Tuesday voted to move forward a proposed bill that would see California's top law enforcement officials draw up rules protecting shoppers' online privacy by July 1 2012.</p>

Do-Not-Track Bill Clears California Judiciary Committee

May 4, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <span class="articleText">A proposed privacy bill in California aimed at ensuring that consumers can opt out of online tracking has cleared the state's Senate Judiciary Committee by a 3-2 vote. </span></p>

Companies Angry Over “Do Not Track” Internet Privacy Legislation

May 3, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <a href="http://www.fox40.com/news/headlines/ktxl-companies-angry-over-do-not-track-internet-privacy-legislation-20110503,0,6923733.story">Click here to watch video news segment on this story</a> (Scroll down page).</p> <p> SACRAMENTO, CA -- The internet is used for a variety of searches, but when you’re looking up Mother’s Day gifts, hats, or even a viral video, that information is being tracked.</p> <p> Companies can take that tracked information and target advertisements to someone based on their searches.</p>

Web Tracking Bill Draws Fire From Facebook, Google

May 3, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <b>Tech group says California bill like ‘Texas stopping the oil industry’</b></p> <p> SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Legislation proposed in California that would mandate a means for Web users to easily prevent websites from gathering their personal information is moving forward, despite intensive lobbying and opposition from some of the state’s largest Internet firms — including Facebook Inc. and Google Inc.</p>

iPhone and Android Users Face Many Companies Who Want To Know Where They Are

May 1, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> The disclosure of a hidden file on iPhones late last month drew an outcry because it seemed to record users’ every move. But that isn’t the only way mobile phone users’ movements are being tracked.</p>

Jobs, Apple Issue Complex Denial of iPhone Tracking

April 28, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Breaking seven days of silence, Apple on Wednesday issued a flat denial that iPhones and iPads systematically log each user's location multiple times a day, and even brought CEO Steve Jobs out of medical leave to publicly back up that claim.<br /> <br /> Yet, the company's complex explanation did not get Apple off the hook from a May 10 Senate hearing to examine the location-tracking systems of Apple iPhones and iPads, as well as Google Android handsets.<br /> <br />

Apple Finally Acknowledges Hidden Tracking File On iPhones

April 28, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Breaking its silence about a hidden tracking file on iPhones brought to light last week, Apple acknowledged Wednesday that the file is part of a system that collects location data from iPhones and reports it back to the company.<br /> <br /> But Apple said in a statement the data is used to enhance the performance of the phone and its applications, and does not track individual users. Further, it said, software bugs had caused iPhones to retain more data than was intended, and it promised a software fix for that problem.<br /> <br />

Legislators Eyeing Mobile Location-Based Data Collection Practices

April 26, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <b><b><img class=" size-full wp-image-9175" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/androidtrack.png" style="width: 185px; height: 185px;" width="185" height="185" />Android opt-in screen </b></b></p> <p> Recent revelations about Google and Apple’s location-data collection activities on mobile are adding urgency to consumer and legislative privacy concerns.</p>

Smartphone Privacy Fears Raised

April 23, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <strong>Location tracking on Google, Apple devices concerns consumers</strong><br /> <br /> Amid global outrage over reports that Apple Inc.'s iPhone and iPad keep records of users' movements without their knowledge, the giant Internet company Google Inc. is now grappling with a privacy controversy of its own.<br /> <br />