I’ve previously noted how Pam Dixon of World Privacy Forum gave extremely powerful testimony before Senator Rockefeller’s hearing on data brokers. Pam had pointed out that marketers had no shame, and she used as her example that there were lists on sale for “rape sufferers” for 7.9 cents/name (you can read WPF’s full testimony here). Within…
Category: Business
Secret contract tied NSA and security industry pioneer (updated)
Joseph Menn gets the scoop: As a key part of a campaign to embed encryption software that it could crack into widely used computer products, the U.S. National Security Agency arranged a secret $10 million contract with RSA, one of the most influential firms in the computer security industry, Reuters has learned. Read more on…
INFORMATION RESELLERS: Consumer Privacy Framework Needs to Reflect Changes in Technology and the Marketplace – GAO
The summary from the newly released GAO report: No overarching federal privacy law governs the collection and sale of personal information among private-sector companies, including information resellers. Instead, laws tailored to specific purposes, situations, or entities govern the use, sharing, and protection of personal information. For example, the Fair Credit Reporting Act limits the use…
Google: Government takedown requests on the rise
Carrie Mihalcik reports: The number of requests Google receives from governments around the world to remove content from its services continue to rise at a rapid pace. Google received 3,846 government requests to remove 24,737 pieces of content during the first half of 2013, a 68 percent increase over the 2,285 government removal requests the company received in…