Consumer Groups Push State, EU for Privacy Protections

Consumers Union, Public Knowledge, the Center for Digital Democracy and the other U.S. and international members of the TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) are asking European Union and U.S. officials to institute more "effective" privacy safeguards on data collection, particularly in the mobile space.

TACD plans to make that pitch in a presentation at the State Department Tuesday, according to one of the drafters of the proposal.

That proposal comes on the eve of talks between the Administration and stakeholders about a voluntary Bill of Rights on consumer privacy the Obama Administration has proposed, which would be enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission. Mobile apps are expected to be one of the first topics addressed at the talks.

Among its recommendations are an opt in model for sharing mobile data, including location-based info; making sure that consumers "aren't unfairly encouraged to provide data to mobile marketers"; and gauging the impact of consolidation on privacy, particularly firms (like Google) that ally themselves with financial institutions or telecom carriers.

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.