Influential lawmaker Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) said Thursday that he plans to introduce legislation that will require Web companies to obtain consumers’ opt-in consent before sharing information about users with third parties. “I believe consumers are entitled to some baseline protections in the online space,” Boucher, chair of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the…
Category: Online
Draft Paper: “But the Data is Already Public”: On the Ethics of Research in Facebook
I haven’t had a chance to read this yet, but Michael Zimmer has a draft paper available based on his critique of the “Taste, Ties, and Time” Facebook data release that is sure to be thought-provoking. Michael notes on his blog that he will be presenting his paper at the 8th International Conference of Computer…
The eavesdropping continues (Editorial)
Once again, the country is learning about how the federal government has been exceeding its legal authority and violating Americans’ most basic rights in the name of fighting terrorism. In a disturbing article in The Times on Wednesday, James Risen and Eric Lichtblau said that Congressional investigations suggest that the National Security Agency continues to…
Congress looks into behavioral advertising
Congress today summoned executives from Facebook, Google, and Yahoo to inquire about how they are tracking consumers for advertising purposes. The hearing signals an increasing interest on Washington’s part into what online companies are doing with all the data they have on their customers. It’s a joint hearing between two House subcommittees, one on Commerce,…