Hope everyone is staying safe and cool this summer! Here’s a quick update on all the work we’ve done this month to hold tech accountable and protect your digital rights.
Tech CEOs grilled at antitrust hearings — CR weighs in
- The CEOs of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google testified before the House Judiciary Committee for 5 long hours. We’re urging Congress to hold these companies accountable for anticompetitive practices that harm consumers and the online marketplace. We watched for you and tweeted some video highlights.
The College Board is sharing students’ personal information without consent
- Researchers at CR’s Digital Lab found that the College Board is sending student data to major technology companies and ad platforms including Adobe, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Snapchat, and Yahoo (for more, check out our deep dive). These practices seem to contradict the College Board’s own policies and provide yet another case for why consumers need a strong federal privacy law.
- Meanwhile, here’s your regular reminder: your genetic data isn’t safe! Consumer Reports released a new study of the laws that govern the direct-to-consumer genetic testing industry. The study provides an overview of existing federal and state regulations and identifies gaps that leave the privacy and security of sensitive health data at risk. Justin Brookman explains in an interview with Cheddar.
In case you missed it:
- Our President and CEO, Marta Tellado, published an op-ed in USA Today to raise the alarm on algorithmic discrimination and call for greater platform accountability.
- We released updated ratings for Connected Cameras, including privacy and security scores. You can read about our work to raise standards on Connected Cameras or check out the raw data release.
- The latest from Digital Lab investigative journalist Kaveh Waddell: California’s Big Privacy Law Gets Teeth; COVID-19 Apps Could Slow Pandemic Here’s Why They Still Haven’t Been Released.
Finally: we are hiring for a number of roles across the Digital Lab:
If you know anyone looking, send them our way!
Until next month,
Ben
