The FTC and DOJ Act Against Amazon to Protect Privacy
E17: Carpenter Decision Builds Up Privacy from #SCOTUS
The FTC announced an action last week against location data broker X-Mode Social and its corporate successor Outlogic (collectively, “X-Mode”) based on several alleged violations of Section 5 of the FTC Act. According to FTC...more
“Precise Geolocation” has become a hot button issue in the privacy world with recent data privacy laws seeking to regulate the collection and processing of such information, including in California and Virginia. The...more
If you don’t know what geofencing is, I will give you some articles to read so you can become better educated on exactly what it is and how it is used to track you. It’s all a bit creepy, but is a good thing to understand....more
INRIX, a company that provides location-based data analytics, has been collecting, analyzing, and selling aggregated vehicle, traffic, and parking data for over 17 years. Now, after the Roe v. Wade decision, INRIX is under...more
Where are you? Your exact location is a tidbit of information that can infringe on your privacy. Knowing your location all the time can help someone map your life....more
This is not the first post discussing location-based services on mobile phones. And it won’t be the last. After reading my colleague’s post on the priest who resigned from his high-profile position after his location was tied...more
Google recently announced that beginning next year it will require Android mobile apps to provide privacy disclosures. These disclosures will live in a new “safety section” in Google Play...more
We’ve all seen the funny faces appearing across the internet as friends and family use the FaceApp to see what they may look like in 30 to 50 years. The resulting images are wrinkled and gray, but the trade made—instead of...more
Who can track your location through your smartphone? The phone companies have the ability to do so, and until recently, have been selling your location data to private companies so that bounty hunters and creditors could...more
Last week’s Privacy Tip centered on how our cell phone geolocation data is being sold by the telephone companies Cell Phone Geolocation Data Being Sold. ...more
A lawsuit filed late last week by Los Angeles City Attorney Michael Feuer alleges that TWC Product and Technology LLC (TWC), the company behind The Weather Company App, is collecting, disclosing, selling and monetizing users’...more
This post discusses some of the contractual requirements imposed by Apple and Google regarding the collection and sharing of locational information. What consents, if any, do Apple and Google require that app publishers...more
Smartphones, websites, and other connected devices (e.g., “wearables”) increasingly request that consumers provide their geo-location information. Geolocation information can refer to general information about a consumer’s...more
I have been watching several articles published by ZDNet with interest. First, ZDNet reported that “four of the largest cell giants in the US are selling your real-time location data to a company that you’ve probably never...more
Driverless cars are no longer a far-off pipe dream. Look for Hyundai and Toyota to showcase their driverless models at the upcoming 2018 and 2020 Olympics (in South Korea and Japan, respectively). Many predict that within 10...more
The Geolocation Privacy Protection Act, which passed the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives earlier this year, has made its way to the desk of Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner for his signature or veto. The bill...more
If you're like millions of Americans, you use the AccuWeather app for iOS to keep up to date about whether the weekend's forecast means fun in the sun or hiding out from the rain. It turns out that AccuWeather may have been...more
On June 28, 2017, the Illinois General Assembly passed a bill limiting the collection and use of geolocation information obtained via smartphones. The bill now heads to Governor Bruce Rauner’s desk for signature or veto. ...more
Smartphones, smartphone apps, websites, and other connected devices (e.g., “wearables”) increasingly request that consumers provide their geo-location information. Geo-location information can refer to general information...more
Did you know that if you’ve taken a New York City taxi since 2009, your pick-up and drop-off locations were recorded and published (through June of 2016) on the internet for anyone to find? Now, New York City officials want...more
Bluetooth beacons can be a powerful tool for customer engagement. The 2015 holiday season saw retailers experimenting with this kind of proximity marketing, and 2016 is looking like it will see the large-scale deployment of...more
Recently in United States v. InMobi Pte Ltd., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) set a new standard for geolocational tracking. The FTC told app developers and app marketers one simple rule: honor consumers location privacy...more
I travel a lot and frequently rent cars in cities all over the country. Those of you who know me, (and my husband and children will attest), know that I will not ask for directions. I am definitely more like a man than a...more
When you start needing longer arms to read restaurant menus in the candlelight, you might consider downloading a flashlight app to use with your reading glasses. But before you download it, first be aware that your...more
Pokémon GO has been downloaded 7.5 million times in the U.S. alone. It has been reported that it has surpassed Twitter. If you are enjoying the game, you should know how it is collecting and using your information....more