Privacy Information

Privacy Information is a project of Consumer Action, a national non-profit consumer advocacy and education organization. The legal right to privacy has been recognized in the U.S. since the late 1890s, but its roots go back to this country's founding. The Privacy Information Project focuses on personal privacy and why it is important to be careful about who has access to your personal information.

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News

February 03, 2012 Why are we only finding out about the VeriSign security breach now?
February 02, 2012 Options to Google’s search services, privacy policy
February 01, 2012 Personal data’s value? Facebook is set to find out
February 01, 2012 IRS tax fraud crackdown targets identity thieves
January 30, 2012 FDA staffers sue agency over surveillance of personal e-mail

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CA News & Special Reports

CA News Logo Consumer Action INSIDER – January 2012 In our first issue of the INSIDER for the New Year, we review our latest efforts in the various coalitions to which we belong. We cover the CFPB's latest meeting concerning financial education for the military community, and what to do when the "talent agency" says you're beautiful enough for prime time? These and other stories in our latest edition of the INSIDER. ( Friday, December 30, 2011 )

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Five Recent Publications

Monday, October 10, 2011

ID Theft & Account Fraud - Powerpoint Training Slides (Spanish). El archivo de la presentación en PowerPoint del seminario Robo de identidad y fraude de cuentas está disponible en la sección "Download File".

Monday, October 10, 2011

Elder Fraud : Preventing Senior Scams - Powerpoint Training Slides (Spanish). El archivo de la presentación en PowerPoint del seminario Prevención de estafas a las personas de edad avanzada está disponible en la sección "Download File".

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

How to Complain.

Consumer Action has updated its perennial favorite guide How to Complain in honor of our 40th anniversary. The free and comprehensive booklet is designed to help you complain effectively and get results. How to Complain includes advice on how to approach businesses with a complaint; escalating a complaint through customer service or a company’s executive offices; writing emails and letters about your complaint, and documenting your complaint.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Your Digital Dollars-Safety and privacy in online and mobile transactions Protect your identity and data while banking or paying digitally. As more daily tasks, from shopping and banking to working and socializing, get done on a computer or mobile device, the opportunities to expose personal data increase.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Your Digital Dollars-Mobile Banking and Mobile Payments Make financial transactions safely on the go. Check your balance…transfer money…make a purchase—these are just a few of the things you can do on the go with a cellular telephone or other mobile device.

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Recommended Publications

Monday, December 19, 2011

Chronology of Data Breaches. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has been tracking breaches since 2005 and publishes a Chronology of Data Breaches.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Tips and video about scamming. CFA released new tips and a video about scammers targeting new payment methods to get cash from consumers.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Protect your child from ID theft. The California Office of Privacy Protection (COPP) has released a fact sheet for consumers on how to check their child's credit records and other ways to protect them from identity theft.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Protect yourself while using a mobile device. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) has published three fact sheets for consumers on protecting your identity while using a smartphone or similar mobile device. The three fact sheets, a part of ITRC's project Best Practices for Safe Mobile Device Usage, offer a detailed look at how mobile devices can expose you to privacy and security threats, and what to do about it.

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Are social networks “friends” with law enforcement?. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a privacy coalition partner with Consumer Action, has released more information on how the government seeks and obtains personal information from social media companies like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. EFF asked the Department of Justice and other federal agencies for copies of guides, not previously made public, that these sites send out to law enforcement explaining how agents can obtain information about users and what kinds of information are available. The guides reveal that social networking sites have struggled to develop consistent, straightforward policies to govern how and when they will provide private user information to law enforcement agencies.

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