In a letter (pdf) to the White House, the U.S. House and U.S. Senate Judiciary Committees, the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, a broad coalition of more than 40 groups (including Privacy Lives, American Civil Liberties Union, Citizens Against Government Waste and the Liberty Coalition) urged opposition to the proposal by Sens. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) to create a national identification system with biometric data on all U.S. workers. The groups said the proposal violates individual privacy, would cost hundreds of billions of dollars (likely meaning people would have to pay a government fee in order to be able to be employed) and would not solve the broken immigration system. The groups said:

Both Republicans and Democrats have opposed a National ID system. President Reagan likened a 1981 proposal to the biblical “mark of the beast,” and President Clinton dismissed a similar plan because it smacked of Big Brother. A National ID would not only violate privacy by helping to consolidate data and facilitate tracking of individuals, it would bring government into the very center of our lives by serving as a government permission slip needed by everyone in order to work. As happened with Social Security cards decades ago, use of such ID cards would quickly spread and be used for other purposes – from travel to voting to gun ownership. Read more »

National Public Radio has a story about the vacant Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Terms for the original board (created in 2004) expired in January 2008, but President Bush delayed the nomination of new board members for many months; none were confirmed by the Senate. President Obama has not yet nominated any members. As a result, the board strengthened by a 2007 law has never begun operations. (For the history of the Board, read a previous post.)

NPR reports, “The board is supposed to ensure that the government protects Americans’ privacy and civil liberties in a range of counterterrorism activities. [...] Former member Lanny Davis says the board was “extremely effective” during its existence, though he believes there were problems with the organization’s structure.”

NPR notes that several legislators, including Senators Patrick Leahy and Susan Collins, have written to President Obama about the vacancies. NPR mentions a letter from more than 30 groups (including Privacy Lives) sent to the White House urging that President Obama nominate individuals to fill the board. The groups explained that it is more critical than ever that the board convene. “As a result of the attempted Christmas Day bombing, your Administration and Congress are considering numerous policy changes that impact the privacy and freedoms of Americans, including expanding watch lists and more intrusive searches at airports. It is crucial that you nominate qualified individuals to serve on the PCLOB, so that it may begin to provide guidance as new policies and procedures are developed.”

UPDATE: The FCC has released the full plan (pdf). The plan notes, “Increased use of personal data raises material privacy and security concerns. Almost half of all consumers have concerns about online privacy and security, which may limit their adoption or use of broadband. Better security and more control over private information may trigger a more robust applications market.”

MediaPost reports on the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband plan (a summary (pdf) was released), which includes a privacy discussion:

While the six-page summary was short on details, the FCC said it intends to suggest measures to “clarify the relationship between users and their online profiles … including the obligation of firms collecting personal information to allow consumers to know what information is being collected, consent to such collection, correct it if necessary, and control disclsoure of such information to thrid parties.”

The FCC in January asked for comments about online privacy in response to a proposed notice of inquiry submitted by the digital rights group Center for Democracy & Technology. But it wasn’t clear until Monday whether the FCC intended to address the issue in its broadband plan.

In January, Privacy Lives joined eight groups in submitting comments (pdf) to the Federal Communications Commission recommending stronger consumer privacy protections. Read more »

In November, Privacy Lives joined 28 groups (including the Center for Democracy & Technology, Center for National Security Studies, and Special Libraries Association) in sending a letter (pdf) to the White House urging that the administration make the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board selection process “a priority and ensure that nominations to the Board are made to the Senate before the end of the first session of the 111th Congress, so that a Board can be seated early next year.” Several months later, the Board remains vacant and no nominations have been made. (For the history of the Board, read a previous post.)

Now, Privacy Lives joins more than 30 groups (including the ACLU, American Library Association, Defending Dissent Foundation and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows) in again urging (pdf) President Obama nominate individuals to fill the board. The groups explained that it is more critical than ever that the board convene. “As a result of the attempted Christmas Day bombing, your Administration and Congress are considering numerous policy changes that impact the privacy and freedoms of Americans, including expanding watch lists and more intrusive searches at airports. It is crucial that you nominate qualified individuals to serve on the PCLOB, so that it may begin to provide guidance as new policies and procedures are developed.” Read more »

What’s “digital signage”? Most people have heard of the term connected with billboards or other screens that have cameras (and facial-recognition technology) to watch people watching ads in order to improve their marketing. The digital signs log data such as gender, approximate age and how long someone looks at an advertisement. This is supposed to help build a better billboard — one that is tailored specifically to the individual standing in front of it. However, the data-gathering and surveillance practices raise substantial privacy questions.

One example of digital signage advertising is the Castrol project in the UK. The oil company bought the car registration data of millions of motorists. Then, the company set up giant digital billboards that scanned UK motorists’ license plates, ran the plates through a database and instantly displayed on the billboards what the best oil would be for that specific driver’s car. The license-plate scanning technology allowed each car to be read as if it were tagged with data, and that tagged data interacted with the intelligent computing technology in the billboard, allowing for advertising targeted to that specific driver. There was a public uproar, and the company quickly ended the project.

The advertising industry is aware of the significant privacy questions raised by the use of digital signage. POPAI (a digital signage industry association) released “Best Practices: Recommended Code of Conduct for Consumer Tracking Research,” but these best practices are not enough. Privacy and consumer groups have released two new sets of privacy protection frameworks for the digital signage industry. Read more »

In a story about the Apple iPad (an electronic touch screen tablet that will be released next month), the Financial Times reveals something interesting about Apple and privacy: the company restricts the consumer data it shares with its partners. This has caused problems in the company’s negotiations for content with newspaper and magazine publishers, the Times reports. Content publishers and providers mine and track consumer data in order to target behavioral advertising.

Ownership of subscriber information and pricing have emerged as key issues.

Apple’s practice of sharing with its partners little consumer data beyond sales volume is a problem. “Is it a dealbreaker? It’s pretty damn close,” said one senior media executive of a US metropolitan daily newspaper.

Publishers have spent decades collecting information about subscribers that influence marketing plans and, in some cases, the content of the publication itself. Apple’s policy would separate them from their most valuable asset, publishing executives said.

Behavioral advertising is where a user’s online activity is tracked so that ads can be served based on the user’s behavior. Increasingly, electronic information from consumers is collected, compiled, and sold — this is all done without reasonable safeguards. Privacy Lives has urged federal agencies, lawmakers, and the advertising industry to strengthen protections of consumer privacy. Read more »