Online privacy

Millions of smartphone users confess their most intimate secrets to apps, including when they want to work on their belly fat or the price of the house they checked out last weekend. Unbeknown to most people, in many cases that data is being shared with someone else: Facebook. The social-media giant collects intensely personal information from many popular smartphone apps just seconds after users enter it, even if the user has no connection to Facebook.

Consumer advocates are furious that the Senate Commerce Committee's initial witness list for its upcoming hearing on data privacy consists entirely of industry-backed groups. The panel, led by Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS), announced a slate of witnesses headlined by representatives from prominent tech trade groups. A Senate staffer familiar with the committee described the Feb. 27 session as a starting point on privacy discussions that will lay the groundwork for future hearings. But privacy advocates said the snub reflected a lack of regard for consumers.

Gov Gavin Newsom (D-CA) may have thought he was throwing privacy advocates a bone when he proposed the creation of a “data dividend” during his state of the state address. The notion that Facebook, Google, and other tech platforms should return a portion of the tremendous wealth that they’ve accumulated through the exploitation of their users’ personal data is a popular one.

Common Sense Media, Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood, Center for Digital Democracy, and over a dozen organizations called upon the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether Facebook has engaged in unfair or deceptive practices in violation of Sec 5 of the FTC Act and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Advocates are concerned that Facebook employed unfair practices by charging children for purchases made without parental consent and often without parental awareness.

During the second year of the Trump Administration, the White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) has made great strides in supporting America’s bright future. In January 2019, OSTP welcomed the confirmation of Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier as its new Director. Other highlights:

Democrats on Capitol Hill say they are intrigued by a proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) for users to “share in the wealth that is created from their data” — though they would like to hear more details. Gov.

Sen Bernie Sanders (I-VT) wasted no time taking aim at e-commerce giant Amazon over its economic practices after announcing his 2020 presidential bid — marking an early campaign appearance for the senator's long-standing critiques of tech titans. Sen. Sanders criticized the company over how it conducted its second headquarters search and for not paying any federal income taxes for 2018.

Nearly a year after announcing an investigation into the incident, the Federal Trade Commission is negotiating with Facebook over a fine that could range into the billions of dollars.

A complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission is accusing Facebook of failing to protect sensitive health data in its groups. The complaint, filed with the agency in Jan and released publicly Feb 18, argues that the company improperly disclosed information on members of closed groups.