CDT respectfully submits these comments in response to Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC, or the Commission) request for written comments on the Internet of Things (IoT) and consumer product hazards. While there is no doubt that the IoT presents enormous value, poorly designed and inadequately secured devices can present risks to consumers’ safety and can be exploited for costly cyber-attacks.
Read MorePrivacy questions arise due to the volume and sensitivity of health data generated by consumer-focused apps, devices, and platforms, including the potential analytics uses that can be made of such data. Transparency about data practices is essential not just as a fundamental element of privacy, but is also key to engendering consumer trust, which in turn is critical to the adoption of these services. Without trust, consumers will resist using apps or devices and the industry as a whole will suffer. Overall, transparency practices should be guided by the principle that the consumer should not be surprised. The more unexpected or potentially objectionable a data collection or usage is, the greater the obligation to explain it to consumers.
Read MoreWashington 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.
Read MoreCDT has long called for a flexible baseline consumer privacy law that would protect consumers from inappropriate collection and misuse of their personal information, both online and offline. The draft takes a bold and important step in covering personal information collected in both spheres, with a uniform set of baseline rules outlining the rights of consumers and obligations of…
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