Archive | April, 2011
US Senators Introduce Online Privacy ‘Bill Of Rights’
A coalition of consumer groups and privacy advocates welcomed the bipartisan effort but said in a letter to the senators that the legislation needs to be “significantly strengthened if it is to effectively protect consumer privacy rights in today’s digital marketplace.”
Continue reading...Consumer Groups Welcome Bipartisan Privacy Effort, But Warn Kerry-McCain Bill Insufficient to Protect Consumers’ Online Privacy
12. April 2011
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.
Continue reading...Consumer Watchdog Calls On Government To Suspend Contracts For Google’s “Cloud” Services in Wake of Disclosures Internet Giant Misrepresented Products
11. April 2011
SANTA MONICA, CA — Consumer Watchdog today called on the federal government to suspend any contracts with Google to provide so-called “cloud computing” services after it was revealed the Internet giant misrepresented the security of those services.
Continue reading...Google’s $700 Million ITA Buy Cleared With Conditions
9. April 2011
Another group, Consumer Watchdog, expressed concern that even with the conditions on the deal, Google will “ultimately win control of the travel search industry, driving ticket prices up for consumers.”
Continue reading...DoJ Green-Lights Google Takeover of ITA with Several Conditions
8. April 2011
Consumer Watchdog and the Association for Competitive Technology (ACT) both expressed measured confidence about the proposal as well. Consumer Watchdog said the DoJ’s conditions would “focus unprecedented and necessary regulatory scrutiny on the Internet giant,” but that even with the rules in place, Google could still drive up ticket prices due to its dominance in search.
Continue reading...DOJ’s Strict Conditions on Google/ITA Deal Will Open Internet Giant To Unprecedented Scrutiny
8. April 2011
Full Investigation Of Anticompetitive Search Practices Needed, Consumer Watchdog Says
WASHINGTON, DC — The Department of Justice’s conditions on Google’s $700 million deal to buy ITA Software will focus unprecedented and necessary regulatory scrutiny on the Internet giant, Consumer Watchdog said today. The nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest group called on the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google’s anticompetitive search practices.
State Eyes Do-Not-Track Legislation
6. April 2011
A number of recent public opinion surveys have shown support for do-not-track mechanisms. Consumer Watchdog said a poll commissioned last summer showed that 84% of respondents wanted to prevent online companies from tracking personal information without a person’s explicit, written approval.
Continue reading...‘Do Not Track Me’ Laws Seek To Protect Consumer Privacy Online
6. April 2011
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. Consumer Watchdog, a backer of the bill, has challenged Google to support such privacy protection.
Continue reading...State Senator’s Do Not Track Bill On Internet Data
5. April 2011
John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog said it’s still unclear whether any of the federal measures will pass and, in any case, there’s no reason for the Golden State to wait. It could put pressure on federal legislators and regulators to catch up. He noted that a law implementing the “Do Not Call” register, which many see as an analog to “Do Not Track,” passed in California before a federal law was enacted.
Continue reading...Pandora Filing Suggests Federal Privacy Probe
5. April 2011
Privacy advocates welcomed the idea of a grand jury probe, saying consumers often had little information about how the apps they downloaded were sharing data collected from their mobile devices. “I think of them as spy phones, not smart phones,” said John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s privacy project.
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12. April 2011