Tag Archive | "Facebook"
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One Privacy Policy To Rule Them All: What Google’s Controversial New Terms of Service Could Mean To You
By Christian Blauvelt , ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY POPWATCH BLOG
Consumer Watchdog’s John Simpson points out that personalized advertisements targeted directly to a specific user, based on user-collected information, can be “a substantial amount” more lucrative than just an anonymous ad. And with all the information Google can collect about your interests from your searches, your Google Docs, and your favorite YouTube videos, they can figure out pretty specifically what ads they should show you. “They are positioning this as streamlining privacy,” Simpson says. “But that’s just PR. It’s all about better targeting for advertisers.”
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Facebook Critics Hope IPO Forces Some Hard Questions
By Niraj Chokshi , NATIONAL JOURNAL
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
"It's hard to predict exactly what sort of gaffe they’ll do next, but it would not surprise me if there is yet another one," said John Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project, noting some concerns over Facebook’s recent expansion of its Timeline feature, which makes it easier to visualize, share, and view users’ profile history.
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Facebook’s IPO May Be the Last Straw for Privacy-Minded Users
By Erika Morphy , E-COMMERCE TIMES
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Even as a private company, Facebook had no problem pushing the envelope, Consumer Watchdog spokesperson Carmen Balber told the E-Commerce Times. "Facebook is already treading dangerous waters as far as privacy rights are concerned. The pressure to monetize consumers' user data will be greater when there are shareholders to satisfy."
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Privacy Advocates Fiercely Furrow Brows at Google
By Richard Adhikari , TECHNEWSWORLD.COM
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The announcement of the changes sparked concern among privacy watchdogs both in the United States and the European Union. "Consumers' online privacy is being eroded," growled John Simpson, a consumer advocate at Consumer Watchdog.
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U.S. Firms Wary of EU’s Proposed Privacy Changes
By Juliana Gruenwald , TECHDAILYDOSE - NATIONAL JOURNAL
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
"Once Google and Facebook are following European rules, there will be no way for the companies to justify the obviously inadequate protection in the U.S.," John Simpson of Consumer Watchdog, a vocal Google critic, said in a statement. Google has come under fire after it said Tuesday that it plans to begin tracking users and collecting data about them as they move from one Google service to another.
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Privacy Groups Hoping Study Prompts Action
By Juliana Gruenwald , NATIONAL JOURNAL
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
“This study proves that personally identifiable information is regularly shared without consumers’ knowledge,” Consumer Watchdog’s John Simpson told a forum on Tuesday. “We can’t rely on industry promises to protect consumer privacy; clearly, we need do-not-track legislation, and we need it now.”
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Experts Positive on Facebook’s New Privacy Controls
By Juan Carlos Perez , PCWORLD.COM
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Privacy advocates and security experts have given Facebook a preliminary thumbs-up on the upcoming changes designed to improve privacy controls on its site.
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Web Tracking Has Become A Privacy Time Bomb
By Byron Acohido , USA TODAY
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Google has been widely known to scan the contents of Gmail messages to deliver targeted text ads. While some don't mind, others believe scanning e-mail to deliver more relevant ads is an invasion of privacy. John Simpson, spokesman for the non-profit advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, isn't convinced the search giant will necessarily stop there. "Part of the problem is that Google collects and stores tremendous amounts of data about its users," Simpson says. "The only assurance we have about what Google's intentions are boils down to 'Trust us.'"
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Google and Facebook Lobbying Expenditures Soar to Records; Consumer Watchdog Asks If Eric Schmidt Should Register As A Lobbyist
CONTACT: John M. Simpson , 310-392-7041; or cell: 310-292-1902
Thursday, July 21, 2011
SANTA MONICA, CA -- Google and Facebook pumped record amounts into their lobbying efforts during the second quarter, according to just filed disclosure reports. Google's spending soared to $2.06 million, a 54 percent increase from the same period a year ago. Facebook spent $320,000 -- nearly as much as its total lobbying expenses for all of last year.
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Facebook Hires D.C. Insiders
By Michelle Quinn , POLITICO
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
“They could say we are hiring lobbyists to keep government off our back or they could say, ‘We do better when our customers have faith in us and trust us and we'll sit down and negotiate,'” said John Simpson of the Consumer Watchdog. “Up to now, Facebook has stiffed serious attempts at that kind of policy development.”
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Privacy Groups Request FTC Probe of Facebook Facial Recognition Tech
By Chloe Albanesius , PCWORLD.COM
Monday, June 13, 2011
EPIC wants the FTC to require Facebook to stop using the technology pending an investigation, as well as ultimately make it opt-in.The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) joined with the Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Watchdog, and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse to file a complaint with the agency, arguing that the facial-recognition software is "unfair and deceptive."
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Privacy Groups Urge Investigation of Facebook Facial Recognition Tool
By Cecilia Kang , THE WASHINGTON POST - POST TECH BLOG
Monday, June 13, 2011
“There is every reason to believe that unless the [FTC] acts promptly, Facebook will routinely automate facial identification and eliminate any pretense of user control over the use of their own images for online identification,” Rotenberg wrote in the complaint. EPIC was joined by the Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Watchdog and Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
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Growing Privacy Scrutiny of Mobile Could Lead to Legislation This Year
By Chantal Tode , MOBILEMARKETER.COM
Monday, May 23, 2011
“The message for mobile companies is that they’ve got to get up-to-speed with privacy best practices and act responsibly,” said John M. Simpson, Washington-based director of nonprofit Consumer Watchdog’s privacy project. “If they don’t, there is going to be really strong regulation really quickly,” he said.
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Consumer Watchdog’s Carmen Balber discusses Internet privacy and the need for an online “Do Not Track Me” list.
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Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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