Facebook recently released its fourth quarter 2015 earnings and it demonstrated that the social media giant is hitting its stride. It made an average of $3.73 off each of its users around the world. However, in the United States and Canada, it made an average of $13.54 off each of its users.
What do these figures mean exactly? Well, it demonstrates that there is value in the information you provide to Facebook in exchange to utilize their service. Therefore, every time you provide Facebook information about your personal life (i.e. date of birth, marital status, kids, etc...), upload a photo, "like" a corporate page, etc...that is data that may be sold to data brokers, advertisers, and others. There is tremendous value in your personal information.
Due to Facebook's very troubling privacy policy and data usage practices, I don't trust the platform with my personal data and/or my family's information. I have limited personal information on my Facebook account with intentionally misleading content to protect my family's personal privacy and safety. Your Facebook account may create tremendous legal problems for yourself and put you and your family's personal safety at risk so the value of your data should be a wake up call.
If someone wants to get in touch with me they can call me or email me. Those who want to say hello know that poking me via Facebook will not get my attention. It never has and never will.
Copyright 2016 by The Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.
Showing posts with label Internet Privacy Law Expert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Internet Privacy Law Expert. Show all posts
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Friday, July 10, 2015
Google Forced to Change Its Privacy Policy in the Netherlands
According to Telecompaper, Google has changed its privacy policy in the Netherlands to comply with its data protection laws. The Dutch privacy regulator (the "CBP") determined last year that Google combines and uses the personal
data of internet users without first obtaining permission according to its laws. Google acquires personal information about its users when they are logged into Google and from other data sources, such as Internet searches, location data, videos, and emails.
While this is a welcome development, why did the CBP have to threaten Google with a multi-million dollar fine before it agreed to change its privacy policy? Will Google soon change its U.S. privacy policy to actually protect the personal privacy of its users? Since Google led the charge to gut Maryland's student privacy law earlier this year, I doubt it will do so.
The bottom line is that the U.S. FTC and state attorney generals should follow the E.U.'s lead when it comes to protecting our digital privacy. The more data that companies such as Google, Facebook, data brokers, etc... are allowed to collect and utilize the less safe we become since privacy and security are bedrocks of a democratic society.
Troubling practices and antiquated thoughts about data privacy continue to be a national security threat. My hope is that our regulators and elected leaders will soon take the appropriate actions necessary to enforce and update our data privacy laws to better protect us and our children.
Copyright 2015 by The Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.
While this is a welcome development, why did the CBP have to threaten Google with a multi-million dollar fine before it agreed to change its privacy policy? Will Google soon change its U.S. privacy policy to actually protect the personal privacy of its users? Since Google led the charge to gut Maryland's student privacy law earlier this year, I doubt it will do so.
The bottom line is that the U.S. FTC and state attorney generals should follow the E.U.'s lead when it comes to protecting our digital privacy. The more data that companies such as Google, Facebook, data brokers, etc... are allowed to collect and utilize the less safe we become since privacy and security are bedrocks of a democratic society.
Troubling practices and antiquated thoughts about data privacy continue to be a national security threat. My hope is that our regulators and elected leaders will soon take the appropriate actions necessary to enforce and update our data privacy laws to better protect us and our children.
Copyright 2015 by The Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
DOJ Will Be More Transparent About Secret Cell Phone Tracking
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has stated that it will soon become more transparent about its secret cell phone tracking program. According to The Wall Street Journal, "the Federal Bureau of Investigation has begun getting search warrants from judges to use the devices, which hunt criminal suspects by locating their cellphones, the officials said. For years, FBI agents didn’t get warrants to use the tracking devices."
This change in behavior is welcome news. Law enforcement should be required to obtain a warrant before deploying these technologies. Police across the country have utilized devices sometimes called stingrays without a warrant thousands of times to collect information about cell phone users for years. The usage of these technologies on American soil appears to have started around 2007 and according to published reports is widespread across the country.
In a democratic and free society, it is imperative for law enforcement to be transparent about their practices. Even though there may be security concerns regarding being too transparent about some of the details of these programs, the usage of these technologies without a warrant is a clear violation of our Fourth Amendment rights.
While I applaud the DOJ's decision to change its practice and now obtain a warrant before deploying these tools what triggered the change in policy? In 2014, the Supreme Court in Riley v. California ruled 9-0 that the police generally need a warrant to search electronic devices of those who are arrested. The DOJ's policy should have been updated right after this ruling occurred and not almost a year later.
The bottom line is that privacy still matters in the Digital Age and that transparency and accountability are more important than ever due to the increased sophistication of digital surveillance tools.
Copyright 2015 by The Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.
This change in behavior is welcome news. Law enforcement should be required to obtain a warrant before deploying these technologies. Police across the country have utilized devices sometimes called stingrays without a warrant thousands of times to collect information about cell phone users for years. The usage of these technologies on American soil appears to have started around 2007 and according to published reports is widespread across the country.
In a democratic and free society, it is imperative for law enforcement to be transparent about their practices. Even though there may be security concerns regarding being too transparent about some of the details of these programs, the usage of these technologies without a warrant is a clear violation of our Fourth Amendment rights.
While I applaud the DOJ's decision to change its practice and now obtain a warrant before deploying these tools what triggered the change in policy? In 2014, the Supreme Court in Riley v. California ruled 9-0 that the police generally need a warrant to search electronic devices of those who are arrested. The DOJ's policy should have been updated right after this ruling occurred and not almost a year later.
The bottom line is that privacy still matters in the Digital Age and that transparency and accountability are more important than ever due to the increased sophistication of digital surveillance tools.
Copyright 2015 by The Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.
Friday, May 1, 2015
Facebook Threatens European Regulators Over Stronger Privacy Laws
In a very troubling development that shows Facebook's true colors, one of its corporate executives stated that if European regulators continue to scrutinize Facebook's data collection and utilization practices its citizens will not be provided certain features in a timely manner. This veiled threat to European regulators demonstrates that the EU is on the right track in questioning the data privacy policies and practices of Facebook and other Internet companies.
Manufacturers of cars and heavy machinery, pharmaceutical companies, banks, chemical companies, etc.. are required to follow appropriate safety regulations in Europe and around the world. Data collection and usage laws are nothing more than safety regulations and it is time for Facebook and the entire digital ecosystem to get on board with regulations that will enhance user trust of their platforms.
An Austrian class action lawsuit about Facebook's data usage practices, the ongoing Netherlands privacy regulator investigation into Facebook's activities, and the possibility that Europe will enact stronger data protection laws that will provide greater regulatory tools to protect citizens from some of Facebook's troubling data collection and usage practices appears to worry the company. These developments demonstrate the importance of baking privacy into your platform's design and the need for Facebook to change its data collection and usage practices and its policies.
The bottom line is that data privacy is a safety issue. My hope is that U.S. lawmakers and regulators soon follow Europe's lead in understanding that unfettered data collection and usage is a clear and present danger to its citizens and that more robust privacy laws are a must in the Big Data Age.
Copyright 2015 by The Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.
Manufacturers of cars and heavy machinery, pharmaceutical companies, banks, chemical companies, etc.. are required to follow appropriate safety regulations in Europe and around the world. Data collection and usage laws are nothing more than safety regulations and it is time for Facebook and the entire digital ecosystem to get on board with regulations that will enhance user trust of their platforms.
An Austrian class action lawsuit about Facebook's data usage practices, the ongoing Netherlands privacy regulator investigation into Facebook's activities, and the possibility that Europe will enact stronger data protection laws that will provide greater regulatory tools to protect citizens from some of Facebook's troubling data collection and usage practices appears to worry the company. These developments demonstrate the importance of baking privacy into your platform's design and the need for Facebook to change its data collection and usage practices and its policies.
The bottom line is that data privacy is a safety issue. My hope is that U.S. lawmakers and regulators soon follow Europe's lead in understanding that unfettered data collection and usage is a clear and present danger to its citizens and that more robust privacy laws are a must in the Big Data Age.
Copyright 2015 by The Law Office of Bradley S. Shear, LLC All rights reserved.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Maryland's Student Data Privacy Act of 2015
Last fall, California enacted what Education Week called a "landmark" student-data privacy law (SB 1177). This was passed because some educational technology companies were caught abusing their access to personal student data.
As a parent, the digital privacy of my children is very important. I don't want an educational technology vendor using my kids' school created digital data for behavioral advertising or for profiling purposes that may be utilized to discriminate against them in the future. The Family Educational Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) was enacted in 1974 and has not kept up with the innovative digital learning technologies that are becoming more widely available for our students.
Today, schools utilize cloud-based technologies, apps, and other digital services to teach our children. Unfortunately, metadata created from these platforms is not considered an educational record under FERPA and thus not protected from the prying eyes of advertisers and others who covet this rich information. Therefore, students and their families need stronger legal privacy protections. Absent more robust student privacy laws, our children's privacy and safety will be compromised and innovative learning and educational technologies will face increased parent skepticism and opposition.
Maryland, a state that has vied with California to be a national leader in digital privacy protection recently introduced the Student Privacy Act of 2015. The bill is modeled after California's groundbreaking SB 1177. Mark Schneiderman, senior director of education policy for the Software & Information Industry Association said California's SB 1177 "seems to generally strike the right balance". Thus, the SIIA should hold the same position on Maryland's student data privacy act.
Last month, President Obama gave a historic speech at the FTC about his privacy agenda for the last two years of his term. In regards to student privacy the President stated: "But we’ve already seen some instances where some companies use educational technologies to collect student data for commercial purposes, like targeted advertising. And parents have a legitimate concern about those kinds of practices.
So, today, we’re proposing the Student Digital Privacy Act. That's pretty straightforward. We’re saying that data collected on students in the classroom should only be used for educational purposes -— to teach our children, not to market to our children. We want to prevent companies from selling student data to third parties for purposes other than education. We want to prevent any kind of profiling that outs certain students at a disadvantage as they go through school."
Congress is also concerned about student privacy issues. On February 12, 2015, it held a hearing entitled, "How Emerging Technology Affects Student Privacy". The testimony during the hearing demonstrated that FERPA needs to be updated. While my hope is that one day Congress passes stronger student privacy legislation, I am not optimistic in the short term due to all of the acrimony on Capitol Hill.
Until this occurs, states such as Maryland must fill this void and step up to protect the digital privacy and cyber security of our kids.
Copyright 2015 by Shear Law, LLC All rights reserved.
As a parent, the digital privacy of my children is very important. I don't want an educational technology vendor using my kids' school created digital data for behavioral advertising or for profiling purposes that may be utilized to discriminate against them in the future. The Family Educational Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) was enacted in 1974 and has not kept up with the innovative digital learning technologies that are becoming more widely available for our students.
Today, schools utilize cloud-based technologies, apps, and other digital services to teach our children. Unfortunately, metadata created from these platforms is not considered an educational record under FERPA and thus not protected from the prying eyes of advertisers and others who covet this rich information. Therefore, students and their families need stronger legal privacy protections. Absent more robust student privacy laws, our children's privacy and safety will be compromised and innovative learning and educational technologies will face increased parent skepticism and opposition.
Maryland, a state that has vied with California to be a national leader in digital privacy protection recently introduced the Student Privacy Act of 2015. The bill is modeled after California's groundbreaking SB 1177. Mark Schneiderman, senior director of education policy for the Software & Information Industry Association said California's SB 1177 "seems to generally strike the right balance". Thus, the SIIA should hold the same position on Maryland's student data privacy act.
Last month, President Obama gave a historic speech at the FTC about his privacy agenda for the last two years of his term. In regards to student privacy the President stated: "But we’ve already seen some instances where some companies use educational technologies to collect student data for commercial purposes, like targeted advertising. And parents have a legitimate concern about those kinds of practices.
So, today, we’re proposing the Student Digital Privacy Act. That's pretty straightforward. We’re saying that data collected on students in the classroom should only be used for educational purposes -— to teach our children, not to market to our children. We want to prevent companies from selling student data to third parties for purposes other than education. We want to prevent any kind of profiling that outs certain students at a disadvantage as they go through school."
Congress is also concerned about student privacy issues. On February 12, 2015, it held a hearing entitled, "How Emerging Technology Affects Student Privacy". The testimony during the hearing demonstrated that FERPA needs to be updated. While my hope is that one day Congress passes stronger student privacy legislation, I am not optimistic in the short term due to all of the acrimony on Capitol Hill.
Until this occurs, states such as Maryland must fill this void and step up to protect the digital privacy and cyber security of our kids.
Copyright 2015 by Shear Law, LLC All rights reserved.
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