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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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Facebook, et al., have descended on the city in the hope of softening some of the restrictions, while privacy advocates such as John M. Simpson, the Privacy Project director at Consumer Watchdog, are there to keep the EU on its intended path.
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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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This privacy practice changes will likely also provoke protests from the Electronic Information Privacy Center, which is currently opposing Search, plus your world, as well as the Consumer Watchdog agency.
Press Release
Google’s New Arrogant Data Consolidation Policy Underscores Need For Strong Protections
BRUSSELS, Belgium — Landmark online privacy regulations proposed in Europe today that include the concept of a “right to be forgotten” could help provide U.S. consumers with tools necessary to protect their data held by Internet giants like Google, Facebook and Microsoft, if ultimately enacted, Consumer Watchdog said today.
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The European Union announced new proposals Wednesday to keep online data private. In the U.S., there is a growing chorus of lawmakers who want to do the same . Currently, there are no state or federal limits on what information can be collected or with whom it can be shared, according to John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project, a California-based non-profit organization. Online data gathered can also be used in marketing housing, insurance, and financial services, Simpson says.
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A pro-privacy group, Consumer Watchdog, says the “landmark” recommendations are a boon for anyone concerned about keeping personal information private. Consumer Watchdog, a longtime Google critic, pointed to Google’s decision to integrateGoogle+ information into search results as a sign that new regulations are necessary to protect consumers.
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“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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“What these unilateral decisions by Google and Facebook demonstrate is a complete disregard for their users’ interests and concerns,” says John Simpson, spokesman for Consumer Watchdog. “It’s an uncommonly arrogant approach not usually seen in business, where these companies believe they can do whatever they want with our data, whenever and however they want to do it.”
Press Release
WASHINGTON, DC – Consumer Watchdog today called on President Obama to use the State of the Union message to endorse baseline privacy legislation and support Do Not Track regulations that would give consumers control of whether their information is gathered while they use the Internet.
