CDP Institute

A survey of 1,670+ consumers conducted for Razorfish’s Data Privacy Paradox study found a big disconnect between the hyper-targeting and personalization companies offer, and what consumers prioritize – which is respect for privacy and transparency and to not have their data shared without consent. So, while 81% liked personalized experiences, only 17% were willing to give up data for them; and more than 50% reported they stop buying from companies that share their data without consent.

Over objections, Utah’s governor has signed The Social Media Regulation Act (SB 152), with the intent of protecting the mental health of teens by put the onus on parents to grant permission for social media use and requiring social media companies to verify ages of users. Opponents, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, believe the legislation encroaches on children’s right to information and their privacy.

Yet another technology to know us better – very possibly better than most of us will want. Not content just checking our cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems, Big Tech is rapidly developing brain-tracking devices to learn what we think, feel and remember, purportedly yes, to help with health diagnoses and management.  It also crosses our last personal, private frontier.

A Dutch court has ruled against Facebook in a suit brought by the advocacy group, Data Privacy Foundation (DPF) and the not-for-profit consumer group, Consumentenbond. They allege the company’s Irish subsidiary processed local user data without consent. Additionally, data was found to have been sold to third parties without consumers’ knowledge.

A Brooklyn resident charged in a class action that Amazon’s New York City Amazon Go stores collected biometric data of customers without sufficient notification, which puts the company in violation of New York’s 2021 Biometric Identifier Information (BII) Law. The law, which came into effect in January 2022, requires companies to notify store customers of scanning or other electronic data collection via prominent in-store signage. Amazon Go stores, which established a track-in-store-pay-later shopping model, had, according to the suit, failed to sufficiently comply.

By unanimous votes in the State House and Senate, Iowa is poised to pass the 6th US state privacy bill, though Consumer Reports and other consumer advocates are urging Iowa’s governor not to sign the Consumer Privacy Act (aka Senate File 262) into law. Concerns are that while the bill seemingly includes key consumer safeguards such as the right to know information companies have collected and the right to have information deleted, the verbiage in the law serves to weaken the protections provided to consumers and strongly favors business.

A survey by Digital Third Coast of more than 800 Americans found U.S. consumers are fearful they are being tracked wherever they go. Four in five were concerned about ad tracking, with Baby Boomers and Gen Z most concerned at 84% each. There’s also a level of paranoia about always being spied on, with 60% surveyed reporting they believe their phone is listening to them, 3 of 4 believing Alexa and other devices are always listening, and 60% reporting they believe the government is tracking their phone data.

The US Federal Trade Commission has finalized its order for Epic Games saying it must pay $245 million for its use of dark patterns to get Fortnite players to make unwanted purchases and to persuade children to accrue unauthorized charges without parental consent. The FTC also charged Epic with having locked accounts of customers who disputed unauthorized charges. Consumers can visit FTC.gov/Fortnite to learn more about eligibility for getting a refund.

The company, which came out of stealth in August with $6 million seed funding, can automatically map the flow of data from collection through how it is stored to whether it is being shared with third parties, then can create a trouble ticket to alert an engineering team when there’s a problem.

TikTok has to allay regulator concerns or face multiple shutdowns and bans. This week, 1) a whistleblower told The Washington Post TikTok’s $1.5 billion “Project Texas” plan to protect US user data could still allow China to access company data, 2) Denmark's Centre for Cyber Security’s concerns prompted a public broadcast company to alert journalists to avoid installing TikTok on work phones because of security risks, and 3) TikTok has had to go all-in courting EU regulators to address concerns over its data-harnessing practices in light of the upcoming Digital Services Act (DSA).

FBI chief Christopher Wray revealed during a Senate hearing that the bureau had in the past purchased sensitive location data rather than obtaining a warrant. This prompted concerns among privacy advocates, though Wray indicated that it was not currently the practice to do so and that there were no current plans to do it again. Still, concerns are that without federal privacy legislation, this and other agencies’ practices encroaching on individual privacy may happen without public knowledge.

The UK is opting for business-friendly, billions-saving GDPR-type regulation. The country’s Data Protection and Digital Information Bill (DPDI), which was introduced in September 2022, has incorporated improvements with the clear goals of buttressing the UK business community while ensuring data compatibility with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The bill, which is expected to generate £4.7 billion in savings over ten years for the country, also supports reduced paperwork, clarifies consent requirements, and helps to educate the public about AI technologies.