A Federal Trade Commission lawsuit filed yesterday accused Ring, the home security camera company owned by Amazon, of invading users’ privacy by “allowing thousands of employees and contractors to watch video recordings of customers’ private spaces.”

Until September 2017, every employee of Ring and a Ukraine-based contractor had access to customer videos, which were stored without encryption, the FTC said. “Ring gave every employee—as well as hundreds of Ukraine-based third-party contractors—full access to every customer video, regardless of whether the employee or contractor actually needed that access to perform his or her job function,” the FTC said.

Violations did not stop in 2017 despite new access controls, according to the lawsuit, which alleges privacy invasions both before and after Amazon bought Ring in 2018. The FTC’s lawsuit in US District Court for the District of Columbia also alleged that Ring failed to promptly implement basic privacy and security protections, making it easier for hackers to take over customers’ accounts and cameras. A settlement that is pending a judge’s approval would require Ring to pay $5.8 million for customer refunds, delete certain types of data, and implement privacy and security controls. Amazon did not admit any wrongdoing.

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Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/06/ftc-amazon-ring-workers-illegally-spied-on-users-of-home-security-cameras/?comments=1&comments-page=1

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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) plans to sue Amazon over allegations the company illegally collected and used children’s data via its Alexa-powered smart speakers, according to reports by Politico and Bloomberg.

Citing individuals familiar with the issue, the two media outlets said the FTC recommended filing a complaint against Amazon on the basis that the collection of data from children under age 13 violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA).

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) may file the lawsuit on the FTC’s behalf as early as next month, Bloomberg reported.

The FTC is obligated to first refer its complaint to the DOJ’s civil division, which will then have 45 days to bring a case, according to Politico. If the DOJ declines to sue, the FTC can then opt to proceed on its own.

This potential lawsuit comes four years after several advocacy organizations, including the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (now known as Fairplay) and the Center for Digital Democracy, filed a complaint with the FTC against Amazon, citing two products: the Echo Dot Kids Edition and FreeTime (since rebranded Kids+).

Continue reading HERE

Source: https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/ftc-amazon-alexa-kids-data-smart-speakers/

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The post Tech CEOs testify in House Judiciary Committee hearing on antitrust law first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Sept. 13 (UPI) — House lawmakers requested internal documents from Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple as part of an antitrust investigation examining competition in digital markets.

The House Judiciary antitrust subcommittee sent letters to the four tech companies seeking communications and documents related to their market dominance.

“Today’s document requests are an important milestone in this investigation as we work to obtain the information that our members need to make this determination,” Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said in a statement. “We expect stakeholders to use this opportunity to provide information to the committee to ensure that the internet is an engine for an opportunity for everyone, not just a select few gatekeepers.”

The letter to Google, for example, questions how the search engine’s algorithm determines the ranking of search results and whether it downplays non-Google content or services that compete with Google.

Judiciary chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said there’s growing evidence that a handful of corporations control the bulk of the online commerce and communication.

“It is increasingly difficult to use the Internet without relying on these services,” Nadler said in the statement. “The documents requested will provide the committee with a better understanding of the degree to which these intermediaries enjoy market power, how they are using that market power, whether they are using their market power in ways that have harmed consumers and competition, and how Congress should respond.”

The investigation has support from both sides of the aisle.

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