By building privacy into your products from the beginning and giving your users the information and tools to protect and control their own personal information, you not only help avoid consequences ranging from scathing media coverage to class action lawsuits, you also make users feel truly invested in your product and build invaluable trust and loyalty.

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The key to developing outstanding privacy practices is to proactively identify and address potential privacy risks before they happen.
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MAKE YOUR PRIVACY PRACTICES STAND OUT

Microsoft Shines in Fight To Reveal Data Demands

Microsoft shined in the press for standing up for users and suing the Department of Justice to stop secrecy about data demands. The lawsuit followed an 18 month period in which the government forced the company to keep more than 2,500 data demands...Read more >

ASUS Receives FTC Slapdown for Bad Hardware Security

Hardware company ASUS faced a lawsuit by the FTC after it failed to properly secure routers sold to consumers. After initially denying reports that hackers could “traverse any external storage plugged in through the USB ports on the back of the...Read more >

Apple Defies Government Demand for Backdoor to Massive Acclaim

Following the tragic San Bernardino terrorist shooting, the United States government demanded Apple build a backdoor to assist in accessing encrypted information stored on an iPhone used by one of the attackers. In an open letter to customers, Apple...Read more >

Vizio Sued Over Smart TV Privacy and Security Flaws

Smart TV manufacturer Vizio found itself in hot water for privacy and security issues after it was revealed their Smart TVs were collecting and sharing user data with third parties on a massive scale. Compounding this was a report by Avast...Read more >

Google Protects Readers of Digital Books

Google helped protect the privacy of its users by supporting the passage of the California Reader Privacy Act . The law, which went into effect in January 2012 , ensures that government and third parties cannot demand access to private reading...Read more >

Qwest Resists Surveillance Efforts to Widespread Praise

Long before Edward Snowden leaked information about the NSA’s vast spying network, Qwest resisted the NSA’s request for telephone records and received a significant amount of positive media coverage as a result. Qwest was hailed as “a gleaming...Read more >

Yahoo Applauded for Fighting Warrantless Demand

In 2010 Yahoo was applauded by users and privacy advocates when it successfully fought a Justice Department demand for access to a user’s e-mail without a search warrant. The Justice Department withdrew its request after Yahoo went to court rather...Read more >

Facebook Faces Backlash for Making It Hard to Leave

Facebook users were very unhappy in 2008 when they realized that it was nearly impossible to remove their information from the social network. One user reported that it took “two months and several e-mail exchanges with Facebook’s user service...Read more >

i-Free Forced to Pull App “Geared Toward Stalkers”

In 2012, app developer i-Free Innovations was forced to pull its controversial iPhone app “Girls Around Me” from the App Store after heavy criticism of its privacy practices. The app, which used data from Facebook and Foursquare to display the...Read more >

NebuAd’s Plan to Monitor Internet Use Triggers Outrage

NebuAd’s “deep packet inspection” system, designed to track online activity without notifying the user, led to broad public outcry in 2008 when plans to use it were revealed. The ensuing privacy storm included an inquiry into the system’s legality...Read more >