Greetings from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
As we move into November, developments in privacy show no signs of slowing down.
Location privacy emerged as a trending news theme this week, with a federal court in Maryland ruling that a dispute over the use of consumer location data by telecommunications companies AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon would go to complaint made by a group of consumers who are being represented by the Electronic Frontier Foundation is still pending in federal court in California.
If you were following location data privacy news closely this week, you also might have seen The Washington Post’s coverage of a piece of software being used in some schools to class-action lawsuit that alleges these companies engaged in “illegal collection of children’s personal information” to track, profile and target them with ads. The specific suit alleges “intrusion upon seclusion,” although a similar case against Google was dismissed earlier this year by a federal court that argued online tracking does not constitute intrusion.
In other location-data-related news, Uber announced it would be filing a 5 Steps You Must Take to Prepare for the CCPA,” written by IAPP Research Director Caitlin Fennessy to add to your weekend reading list.
Lastly, efforts around passage of a comprehensive federal privacy law continue to speculation that a bipartisan proposal will be put forth by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.
It seems like the discussions about and new proposals for a potential federal law will continue at least through the end of the year. With all these developments happening in the world of privacy, which is constantly in motion, I hope you can find time for a break and have a relaxing weekend.
Happy November!