Comprehensive Online Tracking is Not Unique to ISPs
Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee (Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law) held a hearing to explore the FCC’s proposed privacy rules regulating Broadband Internet Access Service providers (a subset of Internet Service Providers, or ISPs).
Department of Commerce Director of Privacy Initiatives Joins the Future of Privacy Forum
Washington, DC – Today, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) announced that John Verdi will join the organization as Vice President of Policy to lead the development of its rapidly growing privacy policy portfolio. Verdi will be responsible for furthering FPF’s efforts to advance responsible privacy practices.
Always on: Privacy Implications of Microphone-Enabled Devices
Is your smart TV listening to your conversations? Are your children’s toys spying on your family?
These questions are being raised as the next generation of Internet-connected devices enters the market. Such devices, often dubbed “always on,” include televisions, cars, toys and home personal assistants, many of which now include microphones and speech-recognition capabilities.
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 […]
Privacy Papers 2010
Please see below for leading privacy papers, and those listed as notable mention. Papers listed in alphabetical order. To view the “Privacy Papers for Policy Makers” journal, click here. Leading Papers: Privacy on the Books and on the Ground Kenneth Bamberger and Deirdre Mulligan “Misplaced Confidences: Privacy and the Control Paradox” Laura Brandimarte, Alessandro Acquisti […]
Communicating with Parents about Student Privacy
Recently, a number of bills have been proposed at both federal and state levels aimed at protecting student data privacy. Laws, codes of conduct, better contracts …
Future of Privacy Forum Releases Statement on FTC's Settlement with Retail Tracking Company
“Today’s settlement by the Federal Trade Commission with Nomi, a mobile location tracking company, demonstrates the …
Moving the Internet of Things Forward Without Hard Numbers on Risks
Today’s release of the FTC’s long-awaited report on the Internet of Things concludes that connected devices are “likely to meld the virtual and physical worlds together in ways that are currently difficult to comprehend.” It’s this great unknown where it seems many of the revolutionary benefits and more abstract risks from connectivity lie. While the […]
FPF Statement on FTC Internet of Things Report
The Report, which appropriately does not call for IoT specific legislation, reflects the fact that the Internet of Things is in its infancy, and strongly supports context as a way to assess appropriate uses. The staff recognized concerns that a notice and choice approach could restrict unexpected new uses of data with potential societal benefits. They sensibly incorporated […]
President Obama Backs FPF-SIIA Student Privacy Pledge
President Obama today strongly endorsed the Student Privacy Pledge, calling for more companies to make a firm commitment to using student data only …