Privacy

Automakers Enter ‘Gray Zone’ as They Roll Out Semi-Autonomous Tech

June 27, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>As the big Mercedes-Benz sedan roars down U.S. 101 south of San Francisco, it closes on an old pickup truck cruising along in its lane. The driver flicks the turn signal for a pass but then, unexpectedly, takes his hands off the wheel. The new sedan pauses for two seconds and then completes the maneuver on its own.</p>

Is Your Set-Top Box Telling Advertisers What You Watch?

June 21, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Your TV’s set-top box is ratting you out to advertisers. At least that’s the contention of consumer groups that have filed complaints with federal authorities demanding a crackdown on overzealous data collection.</p>

D.C. Lobbying Over Self-Driving Autos Revs Up

June 20, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><i>Washington</i> — Ford, Volvo, Google, Uber and Lyft are stepping up their lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill as lawmakers begin to craft regulations for self-driving cars, and they have hired a former National Highway Transportation Safety Administration chief to be their frontman.</p>

How Los Angeles Officials Want To Regulate Your Airbnb

June 17, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>As the sharing economy continues to grow, bureaucrats across the country are making sure they don’t miss out on the chance to get in the way of innovation. San Francisco passed tough regulations on home-sharing <a href="http://www.sfexaminer.com/sf-legislators-approve-tougher-rules-airbnb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">last week</a>, but another California city is jumping on the anti-Airbnb bandwagon.</p>

Consumer Groups Say AT&T, Comcast Violate Privacy Law By Hoovering Up Cable Box Data Without Full User Consent

June 16, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>In addition to the $21 billion made annually by cable set top box rental fees, cable companies make untold billions from monetizing the user viewing data these boxes help collect. That captive revenue alone is the driving force behind the pay TV sectors <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160505/07462134350/congress-scolds-fcc-making-cable-set-top-box-market-more-competitive.shtml">histrionic opposition</a> to the FCC's plan to open the sector up to third-party hardware competition.

Facebook Rolls Out Suicide-Prevention Tools Globally

June 15, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p class="bodytext"><span id="mn_Global"><span id="mn_print">MENLO PARK -- The dark thoughts that flow through the minds of people contemplating suicide might find their way to a social media site, and Facebook wants to make it easier for friends and family to help.</span></span></p>

Consumer Watchdog Says L.A. Home-Sharing Proposal Would Violate Privacy

June 15, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="entry-content"> <p>A proposed home-sharing ordinance in Los Angeles would violate the privacy of individuals who use platforms such as Airbnb and put the burden of enforcement on residents, according to the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog.</p>

Court Empowers FCC To Address Broadband Privacy, Data Caps

June 15, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>This morning, an appellate court issued a long-awaited decision upholding the Federal Communications Commission's net neutrality rules, which classified broadband access as a utility service.</p>

Groups File FCC Complaint Over MVPD Set-Top Privacy

June 9, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong><span class="brief">Say opt-in, not just notification, needed for sharing customer data; AT&T calls complaint 'bogus'</span></strong></p> <p>Public Knowledge, the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog have petitioned the FCC to enforce cable set-top privacy rules against Comcast, AT&T and Cablevision in particular, and the industry more generally, and argue that means mandating an opt-in regime for use of set-top data for marketing purposes.</p>

Comcast, Cablevision and AT&T Violating Privacy Through Addressable Advertising, Groups Say

June 9, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>A group of consumer watchdogs has filed a complaint with the FCC, alleging that Comcast (<a href="http://www.fiercecable.com/tags/comcast">NASDAQ: CMCSA</a>), AT&T (<a href="http://www.fiercewireless.com/tags/att-0">NYSE: T</a>) and Cablevision (<a href="http://www.fiercecable.com/tags/cablevision">NYSE: CVC</a>) are violating customer privacy through addressable advertising schemes on pay-TV set-tops. </p> <p>For its part, AT&T responded by calling the complaint, "bogus."</p>

Consumer Watchdog: FCC Should Regulate Edge Privacy

June 7, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="content clearfix"> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p>Representatives of Consumer Watchdog have talked with top counselors to FCC chairman Tom Wheeler to warn that the FCC's set-top proposal does not contain sufficient teeth to protect consumer privacy from mass data collection and monetizing by Google and others.</p>

FCC Should Bar ‘Pay For Privacy’ Schemes

June 7, 2016  ·  Mark Reback

<p>As the Federal Communications Commission considers restricting what broadband providers can do with our personal surfing data, the agency is weighing whether it should outright ban a practice that’s come to be known as “pay for privacy.”</p> <p>Certain broadband service providers, most notably AT&T, have begun charging a premium to customers who opt out of having those companies to track their online activities. Privacy and consumer rights advocates are blasting the practice and some are calling for the FCC to outlaw it.</p>