In January, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority fined the dating application Grindr over $11 million for breaking its users’ privacy. In January 2020, U.S. PIRG yet others had expected the FTC to research Grindr along with other dating and health apps, nevertheless the agency have not taken action. In other news: January 2021, our coalition additionally asked the FTC to analyze the so-called trouble of cancelling an Amazon Prime account. Oh, and now we’ve additionally advised Senate leaders not to ever provide BigTech lobbyists any senior antitrust jobs!
Author: Ed Mierzwinski
Started on staff: 1977B.A., M.S., University of Connecticut
Ed oversees U.S. PIRG’s consumer that is federal, helping lead nationwide efforts to fully improve customer credit rating laws and regulations, identification theft defenses, item security laws and much more. Ed is co-founder and leader that is continuing of coalition, People in america For Financial Reform, which fought when it comes to Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and customer Protection Act of 2010, including as the centerpiece the customer Financial Protection Bureau. He had been granted the buyer Federation of America’s Esther Peterson Consumer provider Award in 2006, Privacy Overseas’s Brandeis Award in 2003, and numerous yearly “Top Lobbyist” honors through the Hill along with other outlets. Ed lives in Virginia, as well as on weekends he enjoys biking with friends from the numerous bicycle that is local.
In January, the Norwegian information Protection Authority fined the app that is dating over $11 million for breaking its users’ privacy. In January 2020, U.S. PIRG and others led by allies during the Consumer that is norwegian Council asked the FTC to analyze Grindr and nine other dating and health apps, however the agency have not taken action. The coalition that is international efforts to urge the FTC as well as its European counterparts to do something had followed a study by the Norwegian customer Council called “Out of Control: just How ?ndividuals are exploited by the adtech industry – and what we are doing making it stop.”
Excerpt from “Out of Control:”
“In this report, we display just how each and every time we utilize our phones, a big quantity of shadowy entities which can be practically unknown to ?ndividuals are receiving individual information about our passions, practices, and behavior. The actors, that are section of that which we call the marketing that is digital adtech industry, use this information to trace us in the long run and across products, to be able to produce comprehensive pages about individual customers. In change, these pages and teams enables you to personalize and target marketing, also for other purposes such as for instance discrimination, manipulation, and exploitation.”
Due to the fact Grindr was explained by the New York Times app penalty:
“Grindr, the planet’s preferred gay relationship application. had transmitted users’ accurate locations, user-tracking codes in addition to app’s name to at the least five marketing organizations, basically tagging people as L.G.B.T.Q. without getting their consent that is explicit violation of European data security legislation. Grindr shared users’ personal details with, among other businesses, MoPub, Twitter’s mobile advertising platform, which might in change share information with increased than 100 lovers, based on the agency’s ruling.”
In a detail by detail memo on privacy and electronic liberties, U.S. PIRG along with other privacy, civil legal rights and consumer teams have actually advised the Biden administration to look at and control BigTech data sharing methods closely. Our tips consist of to get rid of the obsolete idea of “whatever we do is okay whenever we offer you notice and consent” (whether permission is opt-in (informed) or opt-out (uninformed)). Instead,we urge that only uses that are certain sharing of customer information that meet restricted permissible purposes be permitted. Additionally, needless to say, we urge that any brand new privacy that is federal be considered a flooring, perhaps maybe not really a roof, of security that will not preempt more powerful state regulations.
Additionally in January 2021, following through to still another Norwegian customer Council report, our coalition asked the FTC to research the alleged trouble of cancelling an escort girl Carlsbad Amazon Prime account (news launch). Excerpt from our letter:
“Amazon Prime’s membership model is a ‘roach motel,’ where getting back in is virtually effortless, but escape can be an ordeal. In most cases, it will never be more challenging to unsubscribe than to subscribe from an electronic service.”
Oh, this also month, our coalition additionally urged Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committee leaders (page) to not give Big Tech lobbyists any senior jobs that are antitrust! Excerpt:
“The undersigned companies are a definite coalition that is broad express millions of People in america, including numerous in your house states, who will be concerned with Amazon, Apple, Twitter, and Google’s focused energy. Today, these four corporations are commonly comprehended to wield monopoly energy in many ways that harm customers, workers, separate organizations, and democracy it self. Present polling carried out by Pew Research Center reveals that nearly 1 / 2 of Americans desire to start to see the federal federal government step up and regulate Big Tech. State and federal enforcers are making progress with this front side, and we also can’t risk ground that is losing appointing sympathetic enforcers.”
Senior jobs that are antitrust nominations as Federal Trade Commissioners. Two commissioner seats are available, given that Commissioner Rohit Chopra, a consumer that is strong, happens to be selected to come back to your customer Financial Protection Bureau, this time around as manager. We strongly help Rohit Chopra’s nomination to their crucial brand new work at the CFPB, but no Big Tech hired weapon should always be selected to provide on either the Federal Trade Commission or even to a senior antitrust position in the Department of Justice.