Groupon responds to Markey, Barton letter questioning privacy changes

In a response to questions from lawmakers over changes to its privacy policy, Groupon said that it has taken pains to ensure that consumers were informed of its policy changes and have control over their own information.

Answering the lawmakers’ questions about why the company removed a portion of its privacy policy dealing with children, Groupon responded that it did so because it does not target children with its products. “Groupon’s Sites and its underlying services are clearly designed for adult customers,” the company wrote, adding that using their services requires a valid credit card.

Groupon also said that while it does not currently collect location data when consumers aren't logged into the site, customers have been asking for this functionality for “push” alerts, and the company is planning to add that feature to its service in the future. The company also said that it knows that privacy is not a one-size-fits-all issue. “We understand that our customers want relevant and timely offers delivered in a privacy-sensitive manner at an exceptional value,” the company wrote. “We also understand that our customers can easily vote with their feet if they feel that we are not striking the right balance in all four areas — relevance, timeliness, respect for privacy and value.”

(Aug 18)