Member Update
by William Lee and Grant Nelson
FTC News
|> FTC penalizes Vizio for unfair and deceptive data collection practices
Smart TV manufacturer, Vizio, has settled with the FTC and New Jersey Attorney General for $2.2 million for collecting sensitive TV viewing data without affirmative opt-in consent. The settlement also requires that Vizio delete its old data and implement a comprehensive privacy program subject to biennial assessments. Acting FTC Chairwoman, Maureen Ohlhausen, issued a statement concurring with the settlement but indicating her intent to reexamine what constitutes “substantial injury” in the context of sensitive information about consumers.
NAI News
|> NAI, Industry Trade Groups Support FTC’s Notice And Choice Framework
The NAI joined with the DAA and other industry trade groups to defend the FTC’s Notice and Choice framework for providing consumers with the proper transparency and agency to make decisions about their privacy.
|> PrivacyCon 2017 Roundup
NAI attended the FTC’s annual PrivacyCon on January 12, 2017, and covered the research presented. Highlights for NAI members are outlined in our blog post. Because PrivacyCon exposes interesting research to a broader audience, and is typically dominated by academics with few companies submitting proposals to speak, we encourage members to become more involved and submit proposals to speak in order to share research at next year’s event.
Tech Updates
|> Adblocker Usage up 30% in 2016
Pagefair reports that mobile adblocker usage now exceeds desktop adblocker usage. Asking users to whitelist is met with varying success.
|> Windows 10 Includes New Privacy Controls
Windows 10’s privacy settings now includes direct links to Microsoft’s advertising opt out webpage. The Edge browser stores browsing history in Microsoft’s cloud, undeletable from the Edge browser, but erasable via Microsoft’s updated account privacy portal. Finally, Windows 10 prompts users on initial setup to choose whether to allow relevant ads. Solid writeup here.
|> Windows 10 Includes New Privacy Controls
Mozilla’s Focus browser is now available in 27 languages, in line with Mozilla’s return to focus on the Firefox Browser. The Firefox browser fell from 30% market share down to 12% in the last several years, but Mozilla is pivoting to bring Firefox back to its previous glory.
