--------------------------------------------------------------- EPIC DIGEST AT PRIVACY.ORG EPIC-DIGEST is a weekly update of news, information, and action items posted on privacy.org. March 28-April 3, 2001 TOC------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS Medical Privacy Bill Introduced Lawmakers Urge Study of Finance Industry Spam Junkbusters Urges CPC to Investigate Profilers House Committee Approves Spam Bill Cookie Lawsuit Dismissed EC: US Has Utter Absence of Understanding of Privacy Clauses Passport Users Give Data to Microsoft, Business Partners EBay Weakens its Privacy Policy CVS Privacy Case Granted Class Status CPRM Rejected By Standards Body Legislators Urge FTC to Investigate TiVo Study: 62% Favor Online Privacy Legislation State DoubleClick Litigation Still Pending ACTION Support the Privacy Coalition's Privacy Pledge NEWS----------------------------------------------------------- Medical Privacy Bill Introduced Representative Greenwood (R-PA) has introduced H.R. 1215, a bill affecting the confidentiality of medical records and health care related information. The bill will be considered by the House Commerce and Judiciary Committees. H.R. 1215, THOMAS Database. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.01215: Medical Privacy, Tech Law Journal Daily Report, March 29, 2001. http://www.techlawjournal.com/alert/2001/03/29.asp --------------------------------------------------------------- Lawmakers Urge Study of Finance Industry Spam Representatives Dingell (D-MI) and Markey (D-MA) have asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the use of spam by the financial services industry. Dingell-Markey Letter to the SEC, Democratıs Commerce Committee Site. http://www.house.gov/commerce_democrats/press/107ltr28.htm Lawmakers Ask SEC To Probe Corporate 'Spam' Practices, Newbytes, March 28, 2001. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/163781.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Junkbusters Urges CPC to Investigate Profilers Junkbusters Corporation has urged the co-chairs of the Congressional Privacy Caucus to investigate the practices and prevalence of online profiling companies. Junkbusters said that such an investigation is justified in light of security problems at DoubleClick and the release of Internet Explorer 6, which enables cookies from profiling companies such as DoubleClick. Junkbusters calls on lawmakers to investigate profiling companies, Junkbusters Corp. http://www.junkbusters.com/new.html --------------------------------------------------------------- House Committee Approves Spam Bill The House Commerce committee unanimously approved an amended version of H.R. 718, the Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001. The bill allows individuals to opt-out from unsolicited commercial e-mail. As amended, the bill no longer gives state attorney generals the right to sue for fees incurred from enforcement of the statute. The bill now will be considered by the House Judiciary Committee. Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act of 2001 Amendment Offered as a Substitute, Tech Law Journal Web site. http://www.techlawjournal.com/cong107/spam/hr718am20010328.asp: House Commerce Committee OKs Anti-Spam Bill, The Standard (Reuters), March 28, 2001. http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,23189,00.html House committee passes spam bill; Junkbusters withdraws support, Junkbusters Corp. http://www.junkbusters.com/new.html Anti-Spam Groups Slam House Bill, Newsbytes, March 30, 2001. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/163898.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Cookie Lawsuit Dismissed A class action lawsuit brought by plaintiffs who claimed that DoubleClick violated Internet usersı privacy by employing cookies has been dismissed. The judge held that DoubleClick had not engaged in a secret collection of private information from Internet users. In re DoubleClick, Inc., Opinion (PDF), US District Court for the Southern District of New York. http://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/courtweb/pdf/D02NYSC/01-03797.PDF DoubleClick Can Keep Hand in Cookie Jar, Federal Judge Rules, New York Law Journal, March 30, 2001 (cookies required). http://www.law.com/cgi-bin/nwlink.cgi?ACG=ZZZJ4CT8XKC Attorney Fires Back At Judge In DoubleClick Privacy Case, Newsbytes, March 30, 2001. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/163925.html DoubleClick Privacy Lawsuit Dismissed, New York Times, March 31, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/31/technology/31CLIC.html --------------------------------------------------------------- EC: US Has Utter Absence of Understanding of Privacy Clauses The European Commission (EC) has rejected Bush Administration criticism of its contract clauses designed to protect transmission of personal information. In a strongly worded statement, an EC official said that Bush administration did not understand that the contract clauses were drafted to ensure the protection of personal data. EU-US clash over personal data, Financial Times, March 29, 2001. http://globalarchive.ft.com/globalarchive/articles.html?id=010329000406 --------------------------------------------------------------- Passport Users Give Data to Microsoft, Business Partners The terms of use agreement for Passport services gives Microsoft and its business partners rights in usersı data. These rights include the ability to use, modify, copy, distribute, and sell information transmitted on Hotmail and MSN Messenger accounts. All your data (and biz plans) are belong to Microsoft, The Register, March 30, 2001. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/18002.html --------------------------------------------------------------- EBay Weakens its Privacy Policy EBay, the online auction site, has altered its privacy policy to allow the transfer customer data if the company is bought or merges with another company. EBay Changes Customer Privacy Policy, New York Times (AP), April 2, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-eBay-Privacy.html EBay Alters Privacy Policy, Wired, April 2, 2001. http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,42778,00.html --------------------------------------------------------------- CVS Privacy Case Granted Class Status Plaintiffs who have brought suit against CVS for selling customersı prescription and medical data have been granted class status by a New York court. The case is Anonymous v. CVS Corp, 604804/99. New York Court Certifies Class in Privacy Suit Against CVS Pharmacy, New York Law Journal, April 2, 2001 (cookies required). http://www.law.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?pagename= law/View&c=Article&cid=ZZZKDUPNYKC&live=true&cst=1&pc=4&pa=0&s=News& ExpIgnore=true&showsummary=0&useoverridetemplate=ZZZHCC0Q95C --------------------------------------------------------------- CPRM Rejected By Standards Body A standards setting body rejected plans to include Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM) directly into computer hardware. Such technology invades individualsı privacy, as users are typically required the authenticate ownership or gain permission before accessing files protected by CPRM. Anti-piracy plans for hardware fail, CNET, April 2, 2001. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5422475.html?tag=mn_hd --------------------------------------------------------------- Legislators Urge FTC to Investigate TiVo Representatives Dingell (D-MI), Towns (D-NY), and Markey (D-MA), have urged the FTC to investigate TiVo for unfair or deceptive trade practices. TiVo manufactures personal video recorders which collect information on customersı viewing habits. Dingell, Towns, Markey letter to the FTC, House Commerce Democrats Web Site. http://www.house.gov/commerce_democrats/press/107ltr30.htm TiVoıs Data Collection and Privacy Practices, Privacy Foundation Report. http://www.privacyfoundation.org/privacywatch/report.asp?id=62&action=0 Privacy, Tech Law Journal Daily Report, April 3, 2001. http://www.techlawjournal.com/alert/2001/04/03.asp --------------------------------------------------------------- Study: 62% Favor Online Privacy Legislation A new study released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that 62% of respondents favor legislation to protect online privacy. Opinion Split on Web Privacy, Seemingly Contradictory Results Show Lawmakers' Problem, Washington Post, April 3, 2001. http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28560-2001Apr2.html --------------------------------------------------------------- State DoubleClick Litigation Still Pending A suit alleging that DoubleClick improperly collected information from Internet users is still pending in California, despite the recent dismissal of a similar federal case. The attorney in the California case, Ira Rothken, alleges that DoubleClick combined data from its online tracking with an offline marketing database. Lawyer says California suit against DoubleClick alive and well, SiliconValley.com (AP), April 3, 2001. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/tech/077256.htm ACTION--------------------------------------------------------- Support the Privacy Coalition's Privacy Pledge The Privacy Coalition, a nonpartisan coalition of consumer, civil liberties, educational, library, labor, and family-based groups unveiled the Privacy Pledge last week. The Pledge calls upon legislators to promulgate laws that effectively protection personal privacy. The Privacy Pledge http://www.privacypledge.org/ --------------------------------------------------------------- Privacy.org is a joint project of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (http://www.epic.org) and Privacy International (http://www.privacyinternational.org). 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