Privacy and Fair Information Practices should guide FCC
Consumer Action and other consumer advocates sent comments to the Federal Communications Commission describing the collection and use of personal data by companies, problems with industry self-regulatory models, and principles and standards that should serve as the foundation of consumer privacy protection.

Strengthen privacy in FCC's national broadband plan
Consumer Action joined the Center for Democracy and Technology and others in asking the Federal Communications Commission to consider privacy concerns in its National Broadband Plan, and to endorse Fair Information Practices in addressing them.

Data collection and tracking via student loans is open-ended and overbroad
Consumer Action signed onto a letter to the Senate that addresses privacy concerns about a recent student loan bill. The bill includes federal funding for state student tracking systems.

Report cards grade privacy of online personal health records
Consumer Action's coalition partner, Patient Privacy Rights, has launched a report card that evaluates the privacy options in five popular personal health records systems.

DHS privacy report falls short
Consumer Action signed on to a letter detailing specifically how the Department of Homeland Security's Chief Privacy Officer has failed to safeguard the privacy of Americans.

FCC: Require mobile marketers to disclose consumer data collected
In a letter to the Federal Communications Commission, Consumer Action asked the agency to consider requiring mobile marketers to disclose to consumers all of the data they collect about them.

Strike preemptive language in privacy and security bill
Consumer Action joined its privacy coalition partners in signing onto a letter urging Congress to remove "preemptive" language in a privacy and security bill, which would mean federal law would supersede state law. States have traditionally passed stronger laws protecting privacy than the government.

Ensure "meaningful use" by giving consumers control
Consumer Action signed onto a coalition letter to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, which is tasked with defining how implementation of electronic health records will meet the standard of "meaningful use," such as reducing hospital admission times. The letter asks the Committee to include the ability for patients to control the uses and disclosures of their protected health information in this definition.

Financial reform coalition tackles big issues
A new financial reform coalition, Americans for Financial Reform, has been launched. Consumer Action is a part of this coalition.

HIT cannot be successful without strong privacy protections
In a letter to Democratic leadership, Consumer Action and its coalition members urged Congress to include key privacy protections in any upcoming health IT legislation.

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