By David Hoffman, Intel’s director of security policy and global privacy officer
Intel is pleased to announce a special promotion in recognition of Data Privacy Day. Intel has arranged with the Stanford Student Association and Amazon for free downloads of the electronic version of Matt Ivester’s excellent book LOL…OMG. This book describes why individuals need to protect their privacy in their use of social media, and provides practical steps on how to do so. LOL…OMG will be especially relevant for older high school and college students, but adults will also find it engagingly written, though provoking and useful. This is a book that everyone using social media should read. Intel is interested in helping to establish trust in the use of technology. Promoting practical guidance like that found in LOL…OMG aligns perfectly with Intel’s mission to create and extend computing technology to connect and enrich the lives of every person on earth.
The promotion is available from January 27th – January 30th. Click here for information on how to get the book.
Chris Wolf to Moderate Panel at GW Data Privacy Day Event
This morning, FPF’s Christopher Wolf will moderate a panel at “The Intersection of Privacy and Security” event at George Washington University Law School this morning. The event is in honor of internationally-celebrated Data Privacy Day on Saturday, January 28. The event will begin at 9 am. Julie Brill, US Federal Trade Commissioner will be the featured keynote speaker on a panel hosting other industry privacy leaders. To watch the event live via Facebook Live, click here.
Jan. 25, 2012 – EU Releases Broad Internet Privacy Recommendations, Investors.com
The EU Commission announced sweeping Internet privacy recommendations Wednesday, in the first step toward a single policy for Europe regulating the amount and types of data that can be collected and held by Facebook, Google (GOOG) and any Internet company.
Jan. 25, 2012 – Who Would Pay $5,000 to Use Google? (You), SmartMoney
New research finds people fork over $5,000 worth of personal information a year to Google in exchange for access to its “free services” such as Gmail and search. While many view this as a fair trade, privacy experts say the Internet giant’s latest plan to pool user data from its various sites make it less so.
Privacy Prognostication at the State of the Net Conference
On Tuesday, January 17, 2012, FPF Director and Co-Chair Jules Polonetsky moderated a panel on the Congressional outlook on privacy legislation at the State of the Net Conference. The panelists included Justin Brookman, Director of the Consumer Privacy Project at the Center of Democracy and Technology; Daniel Castro, Senior Analyst at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation; Ioana Rusu, Regulatory Counsel for Consumers Union; and Mike Zaneis, VP of Public Policy for the Interactive Advertising Bureau.
The consensus: Congress will most likely not pass broad privacy legislation this year. Still, with the anticipated release of numerous federal reports on protecting online privacy, the panel agreed that privacy would be a hot issue this year.
Panelists discussed industry self-regulatory efforts like the Icon Program that sets out to inform users about online behavioral advertising practices. Justin Brookman called for basic privacy legislation to provide consumers with a way of “figuring out what happens to their information online.”
Jules Polonetsky jokingly noted that the online behavioral advertising topic has eaten up all privacy issues and suggested that we not lose sight of the broader uses and value of data.
Debating the role the government should play in protecting privacy was another topic of discussion. “A terrible idea is to take hypotheticals or products that are not in the marketplace and to legislate in the realm of the possible and not the actual,” said Mike Zaneis. “They [Congress] should be looking at actual bad actions or really probable future bad results for consumers before they really take legislation seriously.”
FPF Co-Chair Chris Wolf also presented at the conference on a panel debating the role intermediaries should play in taking actions against bad actors on the Internet as well as the importance of intermediary protections like Section 230.
-Lia Sheena
MMA Releases Final Apps Privacy Policy Framework
Today the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) released the final version of its Application Privacy Policy Framework. The document provides guidance for mobile app developers and was created with feedback from key industry players. Access the document here. The guidelines include: 1) guidance on privacy principles as well as sample language, 2) methods of informing users about how their data is obtained and used, and 3) security and confidentiality information guidance.
We look forward this year to many more collaborative efforts that help clarify the privacy responsibilities of app developers. In December 2011, FPF and CDT released a beta version of their Best Practices for Mobile Application Developers (pdf). The document provides guidance for developers to implement privacy by design measures throughout each stage of development. The public comment period is still open, so please submit your feedback to[email protected].
FPF to Present at the ICAC Tech Expo
Today, FPF will demonstrate its application privacy site, www.applicationprivacy.org, at the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee’s 15th Annual Kickoff Reception and Technology Exhibition. The expo will be in the Hart Senate Office Building, Room 902 from 5 to 7pm this Wednesday evening. The event is open to the public, so please come to check out the tools and best practices for mobile application privacy that FPF is working one with app developers. Guests can check-in to the expo onsite. For more information please click here.
Jan. 24, 2012 – Big Week in Washington for Online Privacy Issues, Adweek
This week, which leads up to Data Privacy Day on Saturday, could be a big one for advancing online privacy policy in Washington, D.C., and globally. In keeping with the push to protect consumers’ personal data and privacy online, the Obama administration is expected to release its white paper on privacy, endorsing a “privacy bill of rights” and calling on companies to self-regulate by adopting codes of conduct.
On the other side of the pond, the European Commission on Wednesday will propose big changes to its 17-year-old European privacy policy directive, adopting regulation that by 2014 could require companies like Google and Facebook to obtain explicit consent from consumers before collecting and using their personal data.
Jan. 20, 2012 – FTC to probe privacy concerns with internet tech giants, Mobile Bloom
The Federal Trade Commission has warned that tech companies will be dealt with strictly if they violate user privacy and data security laws. In 2011, the FTC notified and resolved several such issues with Internet magnates Google, Facebook and Twitter after it came to the FTC’s notice that these companies had allowed user privacy to be breached. This year’s focus has shifted to smartphones and tablets, with the privacy watchdog having set its sights on gaining an insight into how user information in mobile products is handled by companies.
Green Button Privacy
The Future of Privacy Forum applauds today’s announcements by companies that are implementing the Administration’s plan for a Green Button to allow consumers access to the energy data. Providing consumers access to this data will set the stage for new services that provide consumers with more control over how they manage their power use and how they use devices and appliances.
Access to data provides transparency that enhances privacy, but access to data can also lead to privacy risks if data is shared inappropriately or misused. With responsible practices in place, companies that seek to use energy data on behalf of consumers can empower users by providing useable controls and privacy friendly options. FPF is pleased to be working with a number of companies, as well as the NIST Smart Grid Privacy Subgroup and the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative on helping define consumer friendly smart grid research and practices.
