Tag Archives: ftc

FTC releases landmark update to child online privacy laws

Washingtonpost.com writes that the US federal government on Wednesday announced a landmark update to child online privacy laws, establishing guidelines that make it harder to track a gadget-obsessed generation with constant access to the Web.

The Federal Trade Commission’s new rules come amid a two-year debate over how far the government should go to protect the privacy of children 12 and younger without curbing the business practices of a thriving Web economy that relies on their data for advertising.

Under new amendments, the FTC said firms must seek permission from parents to collect a child’s photographs, videos and geo-locational information — all content that social media, online games and mobile devices have made easy to share.

The aim of the revisions, the FTC said, was to clarify that much of today’s most popular uses of the Web should be more closely guarded when done by children.

“The commission takes seriously its mandate to protect children’s online privacy in this ever-changing technological landscape,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz in a statement.

A company such as Google or Viacom must also have a parent’s consent before using tracking tools, such as cookies, which use IP addresses and mobile device IDs to follow a child’s Web activity across multiple apps and sites.

Read the whole story HERE.

FTC gets serious about Data Brokers

*** FTC to study data broker industry’s collection and use of consumer data

Commission Issues Nine Orders for Information to Analyze Industry’s Privacy Practices

The Federal Trade Commission issued orders requiring nine data brokerage companies to provide the agency with information about how they collect and use data about consumers.  The agency will use the information to study privacy practices in the data broker industry.

Data brokers are companies that collect personal information about consumers from a variety of public and non-public sources and resell the information to other companies.  In many ways, these data flows benefit consumers and the economy; for example, having this information about consumers enables companies to prevent fraud.  Data brokers also provide data to enable their customers to better market their products and services.

The nine data brokers receiving orders from the FTC are:  1) Acxiom, 2) Corelogic, 3) Datalogix, 4) eBureau, 5) ID Analytics, 6) Intelius, 7) Peekyou, 8) Rapleaf, and 9) Recorded Future.  The FTC is seeking details about:

  • the nature and sources of the consumer information the data brokers collect;
  • how they use, maintain, and disseminate the information; and
  • the extent to which the data brokers allow consumers to access and correct their information or to opt out of having their personal information sold.

Read the whole story HERE.