Natasha Singer writes: The marketing pitch came by e-mail: Would you like to make an appointment with your dentist to have your teeth cleaned? And while you’re at it, how about recommending him to a friend, or posting a review of your dental care? I had given my e-mail address and mobile phone number to…
Category: Business
House members wary of consumer privacy issues with Groupon
Pete Kasperowicz reports: Online discounter Groupon has offered Congress assurances that it is constantly working to ensure the privacy of information it collects about its users. Key members of the House, however, are not fully convinced Groupon is careful with the consumer information it collects. Read more on The Hill.
Judge Dismisses ‘History-Sniffing’ Lawsuit Against Advertisers, But Not Ad Network
Wendy Davis reports: A federal judge has dismissed a consumer’s potential class-action lawsuit against four major advertisers — McDonald’s, CBS, Mazda and Microsoft — that were accused of acting in concert with the ad network Interclick to use controversial “history-sniffing” techniques for online tracking. U.S. District Court Judge Deborah Batts in New York also narrowed…
The Boy Who Cried “Privacy Breach!”
David Berkowitz writes: Gather around for a story, boys and girls. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Once upon a time, there was a boy tending his social flocks of friends and followers. He would continually go up to the social embankments and shout, “Help, there’s a privacy breach!” The bloggers and reporters…