The FTC and DOJ Act Against Amazon to Protect Privacy
E17: Carpenter Decision Builds Up Privacy from #SCOTUS
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently reached two settlements in actions against data brokers concerning their use of consumer location data and banning them from collecting, using, or selling consumer location data...more
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
This past week, the operator of the popular Weather Channel (“TWC”) mobile phone app entered into a Stipulation of Settlement with the Los Angeles City Attorney, Mike Feuer (“City Attorney”), closing the books on one of the...more
The alarm bells have been sounding about location tracking, and the state legislatures have been responding. Perhaps the loudest ringing in 2020 is from the Washington Privacy Act, the Senate and House versions of which are...more
Businesses subject to the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) are working diligently to comply with the law’s numerous mandates, although final regulatory guidance has yet to be issued. Many of these businesses are...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
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
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 have commented before on the use of location based services on mobile telephones and that apps (and your telecommunications provider) use and sell your location data for all sorts of purposes without your knowledge. The...more
Everyone loves their smartphone. Everyone loves the newest app. Angry Birds has lots of company now. But most people don’t know the back end of apps and how they are accessing, using and selling your data. Why? Because no one...more