News & Headlines

• February 08, 2012 Touch-screens create online shopping experiences at stores
• 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
• January 25, 2012 Google announces privacy changes across products; users can’t opt out

Publications

CA News & Special Reports

2006 Privacy Issue The legal right to privacy has been recognized in the U.S. since the late 1890s. This Special Report addresses: What Is Privacy?, Why is it important? and What threats against you and your family are viable once privacy is breached? ( Friday, May 05, 2006 )

On Our Radar

• August 04, 2011 Map of medical identity theft reveals geographic patterns The World Privacy Forum has published an interactive map of medical identity theft occurrences in the United States, based on complaints to the Federal Trade Commission.
• June 25, 2010 The one-way mirror of digital signage World Privacy Forum has issued a report on digital signage networks, which are electronic monitoring systems that record and store video information. They include facial recognition cameras in grocery stores, interactive billboards that record data about consumers, and people-counting sensors mounted on doorways.

Coalition

• December 14, 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement highlights another harm from big banks: loss of privacy Consumer Action signed onto a letter supporting Occupy Wall Street's demand for corporate accountability and transparency, particularly with regard to privacy violations by big banks.
• May 04, 2011 FTC should swiftly conclude its review of children's online privacy law Consumer groups asked Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz to wrap up its review of the Children's Online Privacy Protection (COPPA) legislation, as more and more websites aimed at children are installing and using tracking technologies.
• April 12, 2011 CA supports YouTube-Google in landmark case Consumer Action joined the National Consumers League, Consumers Union, and the U.S. Student Association in an amicus brief supporting YouTube-Google in the Viacom v. YouTube case. The case, now in U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, is key to staving off threats to online innovation and expression.
• April 12, 2011 Bill to protect online privacy needs strengthening in key ways Consumer Action signed onto a letter to Senators John Kerry and John McCain laying out reasons why their bill to protect consumer privacy online fails to do so in an effective way.
• August 05, 2010 SEC's proposed rule would expose personal financial information of homeowners Consumer Action signed onto comments made to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on its Proposed Rulemaking on Asset-Backed Securities, a rule which would mandate an unprecedented release of individual-level financial data and would greatly increase borrowers’ risk for identity theft.

BookNotes