Does U.S. Children’s Privacy Law Apply to Google?

Scott Cleland writes:

How the FTC handles the EFF petition charging that Google has violated its enforceable pledge to protect K-12 students’ privacy will speak volumes to the world about two big things.

First, whether FTC Commissioners believe Google is subject to U.S. privacy law, or not.

And second, whether Google’s uniquely bad privacy rap sheet, combined with its unique “mass indiscriminate surveillance” of EU citizens, warrants uniquelyexcluding Google from what otherwise should be a timely reconstitution of the US-EU Data Safe Harbor.

Scott’s post is a lengthy one, but well worth reading in its entirety. He provides a helpful summary of the points he addresses in the remainder of his article:

Summary of why the EFF Petition is a legitimate litmus test of FTC-Google privacy enforcement

1. FTC sanctioned Google a privacy violator in 2011 and as a recidivist in 2012.
2. FTC has known of Google Apps for Education privacy violations for ~two years and not acted.
3. FTC stopped Google privacy enforcement after they shut down all Google antitrust cases.
4. EFF’s problems with Google’s privacy practices mirror the EU’s problems with Google.
5. If the FTC ignores EFF’s petition, State Attorneys General will need to protect minors’ privacy.

Read more on Precursor Blog.