Byron Acohido and Jon Swartz have an interesting piece in USA Today about how a public relations firm, Burson-Marsteller: stepped up a whisper campaign to get top-tier media outlets, including USA TODAY, to run news stories and editorials about how an obscure Google Gmail feature —Social Circle— ostensibly tramples the privacy of millions of Americans…
Category: Business
Privacy groups applaud Senator Rockefeller’s “Do Not Track” bill
Jacqui Cheng reports: Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) has introduced a new “Do Not Track” bill to Congress that aims to hold companies accountable for collecting information on consumers after they’ve expressed a desire to opt out. Called the Do-Not-Track Online Act of 2011 (PDF), the bill would create a “universal legal obligation” for companies to honor…
FTC Charges Utah Operation with Deceptive and Abusive Telemarketing
At the request of the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice today filed a complaint that charges three Utah-based firms and their owner with waging deceptive and illegal telemarketing campaigns pitching movies and soliciting for donations, including calls to more than 16 million phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry. The FTC…
Google, Facebook: “do not track” bill a threat to California economy
Matthew Lasar reports: Google and Facebook are warning legislators of dire consequences if California passes a “do not track” bill. The proposed law would require companies doing online business in the Golden State to offer an “opt-out” privacy mechanism for consumers. Senate Bill 761 “would create an unnecessary, unenforceable and unconstitutional regulatory burden on Internet commerce,” says…