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John M. Simpson, director of advocacy group Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project, said this is the latest sign there should be an online “do not track” list. “These aren’t smartphones; they are spy phones,” Simpson said. “The mobile world is the Wild West of the Internet where these tech giants seem to think anything goes.”
Press Release
SANTA MONICA, CA – New details of how tech giants Google and Apple spy on users of their smartphones demonstrate the need for Do Not Track Me legislation that would cover mobile devices, Consumer Watchdog said today.
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“These aren’t smartphones — they are spy phones,” said John M. Simpson, director of Consumer Watchdog’s Privacy Project. “Consumers must have the right to control whether their data is gathered and how it is used. People don’t realize the absolute gold mine of data about their life that exists inside their smartphone,” he added. “There really needs to be an educational process started so that people will begin to understand that.”
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“We strongly believe that any privacy bill should direct the Federal Trade Commission to require and enforce a “Do Not Track Me” mechanism. Consumers should have the right to use the Internet and mobile devices with confidence that their privacy choices are respected, and with anonymity if they choose,” John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog president, wrote in a letter to Senators McCain and Kerry.
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Consumer Watchdog’s scorecard is full of “evil” tally marks against Google. Some claim that Microsoft is spreading FUD, but legal woes facing Google seem to disagree that Google hasn’t crossed creepy line.
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While consumer advocacy organizations like the Consumer’s Union and the Consumer Federation of American supported the proposal, a separate contingent of consumer privacy advocates — including Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Digital Democracy — applauded the bipartisan effort, but said more could be done.
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“We strongly believe that any privacy bill should direct the Federal Trade Commission to require and enforce a “Do Not Track Me” mechanism. Consumers should have the right to use the Internet and mobile devices with confidence that their privacy choices are respected, and with anonymity if they choose,” John M. Simpson, president of the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, wrote in a letter to Senators McCain and Kerry.
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Consumer advocacy groups said the bill wasn’t strong enough. In a letter to Kerry and McCain, privacy advocates at the Center for Digital Democracy and Consumer Watchdog said the bill still gives companies too much latitude to profile users and track their activity. They said the bill should include the FTC’s Do Not Track proposal.
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It was also a disappointment to a coalition of consumer groups and privacy advocates, which welcomed the bill but called for it to be “significantly strengthened.” “I don’t think this is going to affect online marketing at all,” said Jeff Chester, director of the Center for Digital Democracy privacy group. John Simpson, of Consumer Watchdog, agreed. “We cannot support it today,” he said.
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“Consumers need strong baseline safeguards to protect them from the sophisticated data profiling and targeting practices that are now rampant online and with mobile devices. We cannot support the bill at this time,” Consumer Watchdog, Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action Privacy Rights Clearinghouse and Privacy Times wrote McCain and Kerry on Tuesday.
