Two Democratic lawmakers are urging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether Google misleads parents by falsely representing that childrens’ apps on the Play Store comply with a federal privacy law. “New research suggests that Google misleadingly markets children’s apps as compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act … despite evidence that many of those apps illegally track children’s behavior and share their personal information without consent,” Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Kathy Castor said Wednesday in a letter to the agency.
Four Massachusetts legislators have called on Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and Hearst President Jordan Wertlieb to negotiate in good faith and resolve their carriage dispute so that ABC affiliate WCVB Boston stays on Comcast’s system serving Bristol County, Mass., residents.
Two Senate Democrats proposed a bill Thursday that would regulate the way online sites display and promote content and ads aimed at children under the age of 16. The Kids Internet Design and Safety (KIDS) Act, introduced by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (l) and Ed Markey, would prohibit operators of platforms aimed at users under 16 from using “auto-play” settings on videos. The measure would also ban those operators encouraging young users by offering them “badges” for playing games, or sending them push alerts.
“We are concerned that the FTC has failed to impose strict structural reforms and managerial accountability that would put an end to Facebook’s privacy invasions,” Sens. Ed Markey, Richard Blumenthal and Josh Hawley write.
Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and eight of his Democratic Senate colleagues have called on the FCC to preserve the FCC’s Kidvid rules, which the commission is currently considering loosening to give broadcasters more flexibility on when and how their that programming, or perhaps eliminating some entirely.
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), called on Dish Network and CBS Wednesday to settle a dispute that could result in a television blackout of the New England Patriots’ Sunday game against the Miami Dolphins for Boston-area viewers.
Exclusives
Edward J. Markey was sworn in as the junior senator of Massachusetts Tuesday, joining his new colleagues just as the Senate was attempting to extract itself from the throes of partisan crisis. The former Representative became a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Facebook can track the Web surfing habits of its users even if they’re logged out of the service. And Reps. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas) take exception to that. They’ve sent a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission and asked it to determine if Facebook is engaged in an unfair or deceptive trade practice.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the former chairman and ranking member of the House Communications Subcommittee, said last night he would seek the top Democratic slot on the House Natural Resources Committee.
