Online privacy

For decades, privacy experts have been wary of snooping from space. Now, quite suddenly, a startup is building a new class of satellite whose cameras would do just that. “We’re acutely aware of the privacy implications,” said Topher Haddad, head of Albedo Space, the company making the new satellites. He claims the company is taking administrative steps to address a wide range of privacy concerns. Anyo

As government officials increasingly scrutinize how digital platforms may harm kids, a growing number of states are proposing sweeping restrictions to limit their access to social media. But a top federal enforcer active on kids’ safety issues said that he opposes such limits, arguing they are unlikely to work and may run afoul of the Constitution. “Meet a teenager, they will find a way to get around that,” said Federal Trade Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya.

The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau announced senior staff appointments, adding officials with significant experience and expertise in national security, foreign investment, privacy, data protection, cybersecurity, and consumer and civil litigation matters.

Your internet service provider could have a good idea of who you’re planning to vote for in the 2024 election as well as the gender of the last person you slept with—and it’s saving that information for later. Major internet providers, like Comcast’s Xfinity, stockpile more revealing data than users might initially realize. For example, Xfinity customers are automatically opted in to allow the company to store sensitive personal information.

The overall scope of data sharing and targeted advertising that occurs on Facebook is immense. No one should be shocked to see ads for items they previously searched for, or to be asked if their data can be shared with an unknown number of “partners.” But what is the scale of this surveillance?

The Federal Trade Commission proposes to amend the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, consistent with the requirements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The proposed modifications are intended to respond to changes in technology and online practices, and where appropriate, to clarify and streamline the Rule. The proposed modifications, which are based on the FTC’s review of public comments and its enforcement experience, are intended to clarify the scope of the Rule and/or strengthen its protection of personal information collected from children. 

Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel wrote to auto manufacturers as well as wireless service providers to seek their help in protecting domestic abuse survivors from the misuse of connected car tools by abusers.

The Texas Broadband Development Office (BDO), under the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, developed the Texas Digital Opportunity Plan to guide non-infrastructure-related digital opportunity investments. Another aim is to position the BDO to receive State Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program funds from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration (NTIA).

Google has tentatively settled a $5 billion lawsuit accusing the tech giant of secretly tracking the internet activities of millions of users who believed its Chrome browser protected their privacy while in “incognito” mode, according to court documents. The class action lawsuit, scheduled for a February 2024 trial, was temporarily halted by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers after a preliminary settlement was reached between Google and the consumers’ lawyers. The lawsuit, originally filed in 2020, claimed that users in “incognito” mode were misled by Google’s Chrome browser, thinking