The Wall Street Journal reported that Google plans to start collecting the health data of millions of Americans as part of a cloud-computing deal with Ascension, one of the largest health systems in theUnited States. This comes after Google’s recent announcement that it plans to acquire Fitbit, the maker of fitness-tracking devices, which will give Google access to the personal health data of millions of Fitbit users. Yet, even if Google lives up to its promise not to use health care data for nefarious purposes, a big problem remains, and it should be getting more attention. Google’s growing size alone makes it an ever more tempting target for hackers.
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On November 13, 2019, the Open Markets Institute, the Center for Digital Democracy, Public Citizen, EPIC, along with Commercial-Free Childhood, Consumer Federation of America, Oakland Privacy, Media Alliance, and Consumer Action submitted a letter to the Federal Trade Commission demanding to block Google’s $2.1 billion acquisition of Fitbit.
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Enforcers from around the world, from Germany to Washington, DC Attorney General Karl Racine and New York Attorney General Letitia James, are taking meaningful action against Facebook. It's time for Congress to investigate why the FTC has not.
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“The FTC’s likely fine appears to be grossly insufficient to punishing Facebook for its outrageous behavior," stated Open Markets Executive Director Barry Lynn. "By failing to stand up for its own authority, the FTC appears, in turn, to be demonstrating complete disregard for the fundamental interests of the American people."
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Motherboard reporter Rob Dozier reports on how industry association lobbying defanged the Illinois Keep Internet Devices Safe Act, which would have empowered average people to sue big companies for recording them without consent. He cites Open Markets fellow Matt Stoller for sharing the lobbying groups' statements on Twitter.
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Open Markets Editorial and Policy Director Phil Longman published a feature piece on the Washington Monthly explaining how corporations primary objective in collecting your personal data is to gouge you. He explains how today's big tech platforms are no different from historic network industries — railroads and the telegraph — and how considering price discrimination should be an important standard in the national privacy debate.
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Sarah Miller, Deputy Director, spoke on behalf of the Freedom From Facebook Coalition about Facebook's massive market value drop.
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