GAO Report – Information and Issues Regarding Surreptitious Tracking Apps
Responding to a request by the Senate Judiciary Committee, a new GAO report analyzes the role of smartphone tracking apps in facilitating stalking, and the potential responses the federal government may take against their developers.
Should Colleges Report When They Get Government Data Requests?
Last year, the University of California, Berkeley, announced that it was publishing a transparency report detailing government requests for data, similar to what tech companies including Google and Facebook have been doing for years.
Use of Limit Ad Tracking Drops as Ad Blocking Grows
Behind the scenes in the escalating war between ad-blocking consumers and advertisers and ad-supported publishers, the use of one privacy tool has decreased. Mobile marketing platform firm Tune reports that, as the number of ad-blocker downloads rises, the limit-ad-tracking feature available in iOS and Android devices has actually dropped.
Radio Interview – Lauren Smith, FPF Policy Counsel, Discusses the "Textalyzer"
Today, Lauren Smith, FPF Policy Counsel, joined The Takeaway to discuss the legal issues behind the “Textalyzer,” a technology that can tap into a driver’s phone, and whether or not it is the best deterrent to prevent texting and driving.
Google Provides Open Source Platform for Beacon Security
After an initial splash, news about beacon technology has been fairly quiet recently, but last week an advancement was announced that will support easier access to privacy and security capabilities on this unique technology. Beacons are sometimes misunderstood – thought to collect or retain data on nearby people, or able to track smartphone movements without […]
Student Privacy Pledge – Hits 250 with Launch of New Site!
The Student Privacy Pledge, a public commitment by education technology companies for the responsible handling of student data, has reached the milestone of 250 signatories. We are also pleased to announce the launch of the newly re-designed Student Privacy Pledge website. The site, studentprivacypledge.org, now provides more information, including a Frequently Asked Questions section, and is easier for visitors to […]
Broadband Privacy and the FCC: Protect Consumers from Being Deceived and from Unfair Practices
Left to right: Jon Leibowitz, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Former Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, Professor Peter Swire, Huang Professor of Law and Ethics, Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology, Katharina Kopp, Ph.D., Director of Privacy and Data Project, Center for Democracy & Technology, Debra Berlyn, President, Consumer Policy Solutions, and […]
The FBI and the iPhone in Your Pocket
Consider the data on your iPhone for a moment. Emails, pictures, passwords, credit cards, location history, contacts and more. Imagine your phone unlocked in the hands of a criminal who snatched it, or someone who wanted to embarrass you who peeked at it, or a hacker who remotely accessed it. Today, if you have a […]
FPF Welcomes New Senior Fellow – Ira Rubinstein
FPF is proud to welcome its newest Senior Fellow, Ira Rubinstein. Ira will be working with FPF staff, fellows and members on a number of cross-Atlantic privacy issues and will be collaborating with EU academics and institutions on projects focused on de-identification, ethics, big data, and other issues. Ira Rubinstein is a Senior Fellow at […]
Algorithmic transparency: Examining from within and without
As the volume of consumer data grows, an increasing number of decisions previously made by humans are now made by algorithms. Many thought leaders have called for algorithmic transparency to ensure that these decisions aren’t leading to unfair or discriminatory outcomes, but algorithmic transparency is tricky to implement. Last December, FTC Commissioner Julie Brill acknowledged […]