Here’s a quick update on what we’ve been up to this month:
On Social Media, Only Some Lies Are Against the Rules
- Digital Lab investigative journalist Kaveh Waddell analyzed the misinformation and content moderation policies of nine major social media companies. We laid out the findings for you in some easy-to -read charts, and will keep them updated as the policies evolve. And while the onus for moderating hate speech and misinformation shouldn’t be on individual consumers, CR tech reporter Thomas Germain offers guidance on how to curate your feed, manage toxic content and report potential violations.
Getting Your Name off People-Search Sites Is Nearly Impossible
- Investigative journalist Mara Hvistendahl details in an essay for CR the nearly insurmountable obstacles to removing personal information from people-search sites such as Intelius, MyLife, and Spokeo. Yael Grauer also published a helpful guide on how to delete your information from these sites.
Consumer Reports supports genetic testing privacy bill in California
- CR is the lead supporter of a bill that will provide privacy protections for data collected by direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies. Over 60,000 consumers recently signed our petition calling for strong privacy protections for this data.
In case you missed it:
- CR’s privacy researcher Bill Fitzgerald spoke with ABC News about why parents should be concerned about cameras in classrooms.
- Daniel Wroclawski wrote about the data security and privacy gaps in video doorbells.
- CR submitted comments to the FTC on how data portability and interoperability will play increasingly important roles in our digital economy.
Until next month,
Ben
