Privacy

FCC Won’t Force Websites To Honor ‘Do Not Track’

November 8, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Dismisses June petition from Consumer Watchdog that would have required Facebook, Google and others to respect consumers' Do Not Track wishes</b></p> <p>The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Friday dismissed a petition that would have required some of Web's largest firms, including Facebook, Google and Netflix, to honor "Do Not Track" signals from consumers' browsers.</p>

FCC Won’t Force Web Sites To Abide By Users’ ‘Do Not Track’ Requests

November 8, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The Federal Communications Commission said Friday that it will not seek to impose a requirement on Google, Facebook and other Internet companies that would make it harder for them to track consumers' online activities.</p> <p><br /> The announcement is a blow to privacy advocates who had petitioned the agency for stronger Internet privacy rules. And it is a win for many Silicon Valley companies whose business models rely on monetizing Internet users' personal data.</p>

Websites Can Keep Ignoring “Do Not Track” Requests After FCC Ruling

November 6, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><b>Petition to impose Do Not Track requirements rejected by commission.</b></p> <p>Websites will not be forced to honor consumers' "Do Not Track" requests as the Federal Communications Commission today <a href="http://transition.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Business/2015/db1106/DA-15-1266A1.pdf">dismissed a petition</a> that would have imposed new requirements on companies like Google and Facebook.</p>

FCC Denies Petition To Enforce “Do Not Track” For Web Services

November 6, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item even"> <p dir="ltr">The Federal Communications Commission won’t require companies like Google and Facebook to honor “Do Not Track” requests sent by users, it said on Friday.</p> <p>The agency’s dismissed a petition from Consumer Watchdog asking that they force so-called “edge providers,” which are companies like Amazon, Google and Facebook, to abide by the requests.</p>

FCC Won’t Impose Privacy Rules On Web Publishers, Ad Networks

November 6, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The Federal Communications Commission has rejected advocacy group Consumer Watchdog's request to impose new privacy regulations on Facebook, Google and other Web companies.</p> <p>"The Commission has been unequivocal in declaring that it has no intent to regulate edge providers," the FCC's Wireline Bureau said in a decision issued on Friday.</p> <p>The agency added that Consumer Watchdog's request is inconsistent with the recent net neutrality rules, which only apply to broadband access providers, and not content companies like Facebook or Google.</p>

FCC: We Can’t Force Google and Facebook to Stop Tracking You Online

November 6, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The Federal Communications Commission said Friday that it can't force Internet companies like Google, Facebook and ad providers from tracking users online. The commission had been petitioned by the privacy advocacy group Consumer Watchdog to make the "Do Not Track" setting in many browsers illegal to ignore.</p>

U.S. Regulators Reject Push For ‘Do Not Track’ Internet Rules

November 6, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span id="articleText">The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) dismissed a petition that would have required Internet giants to let consumers opt out of having their online activity tracked.</span></p> <p><span id="articleText">The decision secured a win for Silicon Valley businesses that rely on monetizing reams of personal data.</span></p> <p><span id="articleText">The FCC said it "has been unequivocal in declaring that it has no intent to regulate edge providers," or companies that provide content and services over the Internet.</span></p>

Zuckerberg Still Hasn’t Found What He’s Looking For In Facebook Search

November 5, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Every time Mark Zuckerberg has tried to tackle search, he’s landed on his back like Charlie Brown after Lucy pulls away the football.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Facebook’s co-founder and CEO has overseen successful work in areas such as user experience, mobile, display ads, high-performance computing, and multimedia management. But a smart—and conflict-free—search engine has eluded him.</span></p>

Anthem Blue Cross To End Mid-Year Policy Changes And Repay Consumers $8.3M

October 28, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p class="content__segment"><a class="saveLink" href="http://www.bizjournals.com/profiles/company/us/ca/rancho_cordova/anthem_blue_cross_of_california/3276671">Anthem Blue Cross</a> has agreed to stop making mid-year changes that raise out-of-pocket costs for individual consumers -- and to refund $8.3 million to people who paid them in 2011.</p>

Anthem Blue Cross Refunding $8.3 Million To 50,000 Californians

October 27, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p class="bodytext"><span id="MNGiSection">Anthem Blue Cross of California will refund $8.3 million to 50,000 Californians because of mid-year changes it made to individual customers' annual policies in 2011, according to a class-action lawsuit settlement announced Tuesday.</span></p>

Businesses To FTC: Get Out Of Consumer Data Security

October 22, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The Federal Trade Commission has served as businesses’ chief security enforcer for 13 years. When U.S. companies lose or expose customers’ personal data to hackers, they potentially have to also reckon with complaints from the government agency.</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If two companies suing the FTC—hotel operator Wyndham Worldwide and now-defunct medical lab LabMD—have their way, the agency’s authority over business data security would end. Although they face an uphill battle, their challenges have life.</span></p>

Consumer Watchdog Group Agitating For Transparent Testing Of Automated Vehicles

October 13, 2015  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>Toronto, Ontario -- October 13, 2015 --</strong> The California Department of Motor Vehicles has announced it will post all autonomous vehicle accident reports on its website. The move comes after a citizens' group, Consumer Watchdog, suggested the DMV make the reports more easily available.</p> <p>In a press release announcing the action, an executive with Consumer Watchdog, John Simpson, outlined concerns that have come up following the recent surge in testing of automated vehicles (AVs).</p>