Mobile devices and the services they enable provide consumers with great benefit. But it is imperative that Congress provide a clear policy framework to protect users’ privacy and trust. CDT strongly supports privacy legislation that implements the full range of Fair Information Practice Principles (FIPPs) across all consumer data and provides enhanced protections for sensitive information, such as precise geolocation, including enhanced, affirmative opt-in consent. Unfortunately, today’s legal protections fall far short.
A number of laws aim to protect electronic communications, including location information. Unfortunately, technology has far outpaced these statutory protections in both the commercial and government contexts. An update is long overdue.
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The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is writing to support passage of The Reader Privacy Act, SB 602, to extend the strong privacy and free speech standards in California law to the access of books in the online context. With offices in Washington, DC, and San Francisco, CDT is a leading proponent of ensuring privacy laws and norms…
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Washington is experiencing a “Privacy Spring”: the online privacy debate has been rejuvenated and for the first time in over a decade, privacy is back on the policy table. Both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Commerce have issued reports setting out robust frameworks for privacy protections, bills are being introduced in Congress, and the Obama Administration has announced support for baseline privacy legislation. Not surprisingly, teenagers have become a focal point of the current debate over online privacy, tracking, and advertising. In this piece, I argue that concerns about teen privacy will best be addressed through a strong comprehensive privacy law that requires adherence to Fair Information Practices by all commercial entities, including advertisers, that collect and use personal data.
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