Businesses Continue to Deny Consumers Their Right to Privacy

The business community just doesn't get it. Instead of building trust with customers by supporting basic privacy protections, they continue to fight and lobby against any protections that might get in the way of their making money from customers' data. 

Today, businesses can easily collect geolocational and biometric data through smartphones, applications, and other devices. Often, this information is collected about children who own or use these devices. 

We believe businesses should exercise reasonable security procedures and practices when they access an individual's geolocational and biometric information. This personal data is sensitive, and citizens have a constitutional right to their privacy.

That's why Common Sense Kids Action has signed on as a supporter of proposed California legislation to direct businesses to protect consumers' private information. AB 83 by Assemblymember Mike Gatto would update state law to require businesses that own, license, or store specific types of "private data" to establish and maintain "reasonable security procedures and practices."

This bill is consistent with our support for SB 576, legislation written by Senator Mark Leno, D-Calif. that requires app developers to get permission before they use -- or share -- users' geolocation information. SB 576, which will be heard next in January 2016, is based on a straightforward, common-sense proposition: If an app wants to track your location -- or wants to disclose your location to another party -- it must tell you upfront, and it must obtain your permission.

These are important, basic bills that protect your right to privacy -- and especially kids' privacy. You can support these bills by signing up to be a Kids Action advocate.