New FTC Commissioners Confirmed by Senate

Two vacancies on the Federal Trade Commission were filled when the Senate confirmed President Obama's appoints to the agency. Julie Brill, former Vermont Assistant Attorney General, to fill a vacancy for FTC Commissioner. Brill served for over 20 years as Vermont's Assistant Attorney General for Consumer Protection and Antitrust, and currently serves as Senior Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Consumer Protection and Antitrust for the North Carolina Department of Justice. Brill has had experience with several important consumer protection issues, including tobacco, food and drug, antitrust, and privacy and identity theft. Brill will help revitalize an FTC that has languished while consumers' interests have given way to special interests."

Senate confirms Julie Brill for FTC, Vermont Press Bureau, Times Argus

EPIC Files Supreme Court Brief Advocating Petitioner Privacy

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a "friend of the court" brief in the United States Supreme Court, urging the Justices to protect the privacy of those who sign petitions. In Doe v. Reed, the Court has been asked to determine whether the state of Washington may force disclosure of the names of citizens who have signed petitions for ballot initiatives. EPIC's brief argues that revealing the names would subject signatories to the risk of retribution, that signing petitions constitutes anonymous speech, and that signing petitions is similar to casting a vote and should be protected accordingly.

EPIC and Ralph Nader Call for an End to Body Scanners

Groups call for the end of whole body scanning at U.S. Airports. They said that the technology has not been independently reviewed for effectiveness and health impact. Further, they charge that privacy protections must be assured in a way that prevents changes in policy, without public notice. At the beginning of last year the TSA announced plans to replace medal detectors with whole body scanning technology.

Suspend airport body scanner program, privacy groups say, Jaikumar Vijayan, Computerworld, February 26, 2010

School District Accused of Spying on Students While at Home

Students and parents were shocked to learn that laptops issued by local public schools included alleged plans by the school to use web cams to spy on students while at home. The allegations emerged after a student was disciplined based on evidence that was collected while the student was alone. Parents filed a class action lawsuit against the school district.

Did School Spy on Kid at Home via Webcam? CBS News, February 19, 2010

The Privacy Buzz on Google's Social Networking Application?

Surprise is an understatement for the reaction to Google's roll out of its social networking application "Buzz." Many wondered what was Google thinking when it set up social networking connections within its Buzz application based on Gmail users' e-mail contacts. Google's social networking application bypassed the expected registration process for potential users by setting up accounts with a ready made list of contacts. Privacy advocates had for years focused on the non-privacy policies associated with the G-mail application that scanned e-mail content for key words for the disclosed purpose of serving ads. The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on the Google Buzz incident.

Anger Leads to Apology From Google About Buzz , Miguel Helft, New York Times, February 14, 2010

Facebook Forced to Face the Music on Changes to User Settings

More lawsuits filed against Facebook following its decision last year to change some user settings and making public online associations that had once been de-linked from user profile information. The company disclosed information by making it publicly available. The change in settings resulted in users sharing more about their online relationships and activities than user account preferences had allowed. The company has been under a privacy cloud since it premiered an application called "Beacon," which reported online purchases to users' Facebook associations.

Facebook Hit With More Privacy Lawsuits In The Wake Of Changing Users' Settings, Wendy Davis, Media Post, February 10, 2010

Google and NSA Partnership: Who is Watching Whom?

Recent reports that Google was negotiating an agreement with the National Security Agency (NSA) to understand the recent cyber-attacks against the company's Gmail service raised eyebrows. The Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the NSA seeking information regarding the relationship between the agency and the largest Internet Search Engine, and service provider in the world. Google made public the attack on its servers and their suspicion that the source was the Chinese Government. There have been long-term concerns regarding China and its willingness to use surveillance on U.S. citizens, agencies, and corporations. Google had cooperated with the Chinese government's policy of censorship of information available to people living within that nation.

Google Asks Spy Agency for Help With Inquiry Into Cyberattacks , John Markoff, New York Times, February 4, 2010