Category: Privacy Law

December 20, 2012

FTC Seeking Information From 9 Data Brokers in Industry Probe

On December 18, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission issued orders requiring nine data brokerage companies to provide the agency with information on how they collect data from consumers and use it. The nine companies asked to provide this data to the FTC include Acxiom, Datalogix, Intellius and Peekyou. Data brokers are companies that collect personal… Read More

November 13, 2012

Congress Continues to Examine Data Brokers’ Practices

The chairmen of the Congressional Bipartisan Privacy Caucus just released the responses they received from nine major data brokers whom they queried in July about how each broker collects, assembles and sells consumer information to third parties. In their responses, the nine companies — Acxiom, Epsilon, Equifax, Experian, Harte-Hanks, Intelius, Fair Isaac, Merkle and Meredith… Read More

October 31, 2012

Why California AG’s Online Privacy Crackdown Makes a Big Difference

Companies that run websites must comply with laws and rules requiring the maintenance of personal privacy. While federal requirements such as those applicable to financial privacy and children’s privacy gain significant attention, website and app developers also should pay careful attention to state privacy requirements. State regulators are monitoring websites and apps for compliance with… Read More

August 20, 2012

With $22.5 Million Google Settlement, FTC Sends a Clear Message

On August 9, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission announced that Google has agreed to pay a $22.5 million penalty to settle the FTC’s charges that it violated a consent order regarding consumer privacy. This is the largest civil penalty that the FTC has ever exacted for a violation of one of the agency’s orders, and… Read More

August 8, 2012

Employers: Don’t Ask Job Applicants for Their Passwords (at Least in Illinois)

On August 1, 2012, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill into law (HB 3782) that prohibits employers from requesting or requiring employees or prospective employees to provide their Facebook or other social networking website passwords. With the new law, effective on January 1, 2013, Illinois becomes the second state (Maryland was the first) to… Read More

March 23, 2012

How Zappos Defused a Potential Online Privacy Crisis

When hackers breached the computer systems of online retailer Zappos.com in January, they gained access to the personal information of up to 24 million customers. The information included customer names, billing and shipping addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers. In a predictable response, customers immediately filed federal class action lawsuits against Zappos, and the attorneys… Read More