Internet

Dismantling the “Black Opticon”: Privacy, Race Equity, and Online Data-Protection Reform

Federal privacy law has failed to address privacy problems that disproportionately affect African Americans, such as oversurveillance, discrimination, and fraud. New state and federal privacy laws could better serve their interests.

Shining a Light on Dark Patterns

Some user interfaces include “dark patterns” that exploit cognitive bias to manipulate users. Two experiments show that subtle dark patterns are more dangerous, because consumers are less likely to reject them.

Harming Competition and Consumers under the Guise of Protecting Privacy: An Analysis of Apple’s iOS 14 Policy Updates

Apple’s iOS 14 update claims to protect privacy by requiring consumers to opt in to allow data sharing by third-party apps. But this unfairly advantages Apple’s own products.

“It’s a scavenger hunt”: Usability of Websites’ Opt-Out and Data Deletion Choices

Privacy laws require websites to offer consumers options such as the choice to opt out of advertising or to delete account data. On many sites, these options are poorly labelled and hard to find.

Media as Data Extraction: Towards a New Map of a Transformed Communications Field

Increasingly, media narratives are associated with consumer data collection. Media is becoming more closely linked to economic transactions and structures.

The Many Revolutions of Carpenter

The Supreme Court’s opinion in Carpenter v. United States is revolutionary. The Supreme Court recognizes that Fourth Amendment privacy rights were intended to preserve a society free of constant surveillance.

The European Commission Picks a Fight with Google Android over Business Models

In 2018, the European Commission (EC) ordered Google to change the way its Android software was licensed. The EC’s decision pressures Google to change its business model to mimic Apple.

The Impact of Online Surveillance on Behavior

Online surveillance has a chilling effect on online behavior, affecting Google searches, Wikipedia use, and expression of controversial opinions. Researchers can study consumer behavior before and after the shock of revelations about surveillance in 2013.

The Aisles Have Eyes: How Retailers Track Your Shopping, Strip Your Privacy, and Define Your Power

Increasingly, retailers use technologies such as smartphone apps to track and profile shoppers are they shop in retail stores. Retailers profile consumers and treat some differently than others. Most consumers are unaware of retailers’ tracking and profiling.

The Ten Most Important Section 230 Rulings

Under Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, websites are not legally responsible for content posted on the site by others. A few cases suggest that immunity does not extend to sites that encourage unlawful content.