Privacy

Senators Propose New Online Privacy Law

April 12, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts and Senator John McCain of Arizona on Tuesday made a bipartisan call for <a href="http://kerry.senate.gov/work/issues/issue/?id=74638d00-002c-4f5e-9709-1cb51c6759e6&CFID=49477163&CFTOKEN=56912567">new legislation</a> to protect consumer privacy on the Internet.</p> <p> In introducing the Commercial Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 2011, Mr. Kerry cited the 107 trillion e-mails that were sent last year and the nearly 600 million Facebook users as proof of how much consumers used the Internet.</p>

Consumer Groups Welcome Bipartisan Privacy Effort, But Warn Kerry-McCain Bill Insufficient to Protect Consumers’ Online Privacy

April 12, 2011  ·  John M. Simpson

<p> <img class=" size-full wp-image-2048" alt="" class="right" src="https://consumerwatchdog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/ftc.jpg" style="width: 100px; height: 100px;" width="100" height="100" />WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A coalition of consumer groups and privacy advocates welcomed the bipartisan effort by Senators John Kerry and John McCain to craft online privacy legislation today, but said their bill needs to be significantly strengthened if it is to effectively protect consumer privacy rights in today’s digital marketplace.<br />  <br />

Google’s $700 Million ITA Buy Cleared With Conditions

April 9, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Google's entry into the online travel sector was cleared for takeoff Friday as the US Justice Department gave the green light to its $700 million purchase of flight data company ITA Software.<br /> <br /> The Justice Department's anti-trust division, however, extracted a number of concessions from Google and imposed conditions on the Internet search giant to allow the controversial acquisition to go ahead.<br /> <br />

DoJ Green-Lights Google Takeover of ITA with Several Conditions

April 8, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> The US Department of Justice says Google won't be able to move forward with its acquisition of airline software maker ITA Software unless it agrees to a set of rules designed to ensure continued competition in the market. The rules come as part of the DoJ's proposed settlement for the antitrust suit it filed against Google, but if Google agrees to the terms, the DoJ says its competition concerns will be resolved. Competitors, while somewhat pleased, still want more scrutiny.</p>

State Eyes Do-Not-Track Legislation

April 6, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <strong>Senate bill could put California in the forefront of the fight over online privacy. </strong><br /> <br /> SACRAMENTO AND SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- California is putting itself in position to lead the fight for increased online privacy by trying to pass the country's first so-called do-not-track law to keep personal data from being grabbed off the Internet. <br /> <br />

‘Do Not Track Me’ Laws Seek To Protect Consumer Privacy Online

April 6, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Privacy advocates are backing legislation that requires Internet companies doing business in California to provide consumers with a mechanism to prevent their online activities and information from being monitored. The state bill (SB 671), the so-called "Do Not Track Me" law, would allow people to opt out of the "collection, use, and storage" of personal data by any firm.</p>

State Senator’s Do Not Track Bill On Internet Data

April 5, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> A California state senator on Monday unveiled a bill that would force Internet companies doing business in the state to allow local consumers to opt out of online monitoring, adding to the building momentum behind a "Do Not Track" mandate.</p> <p> During a morning news conference in Sacramento, Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, said his proposed legislation would call on the California attorney general to force affected businesses to provide users a way to avoid having their personal information and online activity tracked, if they so choose.</p>

Pandora Filing Suggests Federal Privacy Probe

April 5, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> A grand jury sought information from Pandora Media Inc. about how the company's mobile application uses personal data, part of an apparent federal investigation into smart-phone privacy.</p> <p> <span id="articlebody">The Oakland Internet radio company disclosed the request Monday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission made in advance of Pandora's planned initial public offering.</span></p>

Consumer Watchdog Challenges New Google Chief To Support Do-Not-Track

April 4, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> The privacy group Consumer Watchdog is challenging Google to improve its privacy standards as the company undergoes a regime change in its top office. </p> <p> On Larry Page's first day as chief executive, the watchdog asked him to support a Do-Not-Track regime for Internet privacy outlined in a California state bill.</p> <p> The watchdog group also dug into former chief executive Eric Schmidt, who is staying on at the company in a different role. </p>

California Lawmaker Touts Do-Not-Track Bill

April 4, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> <b>A California state senator introduced an online do-not-track bill.</b></p> <p> A state senator in California has introduced a bill that would allow Web surfers to opt out of online tracking efforts by websites and advertising networks.</p>

Feds Probe Privacy Violations Involving Smartphone App Data

April 4, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> Federal prosecutors are taking a look at what smartphone application makers do with the data they collect from their users.<br /> <br /> Their investigation came to light Monday in a regulatory filing by Internet radio company Pandora. Oakland-based Pandora said it had received a subpoena from a federal grand jury early this year.<br /> <br />

California Introduces Do-Not-Track Bill, May Set U.S. Standard

April 4, 2011  ·  Mark Reback

<p> April 4 (Bloomberg) -- A California bill unveiled today that would limit Web companies from tracking the state’s online consumers’ browsing habits may support national efforts for a similar law, costing the industry as much as $1.1 billion annually.<br /> <br />