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  • Fairplay & CDD Statement on FTC vs EPIC Games

    By: Jeff Chester | Dec 19 2022

    Josh Golin, executive director, Fairplay:

    Date

    Monday, December 19, 2022
    Read more
  • It's Time for Smart Regulation of TV Election Advertising

    By: Jeff Chester | Nov 1 2022

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    Sub-title

    Commercial Surveillance expands via the "Big" Screen in the Home

    Televisions now view and analyze us—the programs we watch, what shows we click on to consider or save, and the content reflected on the “glass” of our screens. On “smart” or connected TVs, streaming TV applications have been engineered to fully deliver the forces of commercial surveillance.

    Date

    Tuesday, November 1, 2022
    Read more
  • Regulating digital marketing of alcohol: challenges and opportunities

    By: Jeff Chester | Oct 14 2022

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    Sub-title

    Discussion by Jeff Chester at the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance

    Alcohol Marketers are now big data companies.  They are also commercial surveillance marketing enterprises, which is how data driven digital marketing is increasingly described by regulators and critics.  Like many other global industries, alcohol marketing uses an ever expanding set of diverse and sophisticated online and offline techniques designed to identify and deeply influence its target audiences.  Alcoholic beverage companies have broadly adopted the business model and tactics perfected by Google, Meta/Facebook, and Amazon.

    Date

    Friday, October 14, 2022
    Read more
  • Surveillance Marketing 2.0

    By: Jeff Chester | Jun 30 2022

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    Sub-title

    Considering Privacy Legislation in the context of contemporary digital data marketing practices

    Last week, the leading global advertisers, online platforms and data marketers gathered for the most important awards given by the ad industry—the “Cannes Lions.” Reviewing the winners and the “shortlist” of runners-up—competing in categories such as “Creative Data,” “Social and Influencer,” “Brand Experience & Activation,” “Creative Commerce” and “Mobile”—is essential to learn where the data-

    Date

    Thursday, June 30, 2022
    Read more
  • FTC Should tell Microsoft that it’s “Game Over” with its plans to buy Activision Blizzard

    By: Jeff Chester | Mar 22 2022

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    Sub-title

    Deal reflects Big Tech move to grab more data for omnipresent tracking & targeting

    Microsoft is rapidly expanding its surveillance advertising complex—first acquiring AT&T’s powerful Xandr targeting system last December, and adding a few weeks later the online gaming and eSports giant Activision Blizzard.

    Authors

    Jeff Chester
    Date

    Tuesday, March 22, 2022
    Read more
  • We Can’t Let the Surveillance Ad Industry Create the new Rules for Privacy

    By: Jeff Chester | Oct 17 2021

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    Sub-title

    Time for the FTC to intervene as marketers create new ways to leverage our “identity” data as cookies “crumble”

    For decades, the U.S. has allowed private actors to basically create the rules regarding how our data is gathered and used online. A key reason that we do not have any real privacy for digital media is precisely because it has principally been online marketing interests that have shaped how the devices, platforms and applications we use ensnare us in the commercial surveillance complex.

    Authors

    Jeff Chester
    Date

    Sunday, October 17, 2021
    Read more
  • The Big Data Merger Gold Rush to Control Your “Identity” Information

    By: Jeff Chester | Sep 22 2021

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    Sub-title

    Will the DoJ ensure that both competition and consumer protection in data markets are addressed?

    There is a digital data “gold rush” fever sweeping the data and marketing industry, as the quest to find ways to use data to determine a person’s “identity” for online marketing becomes paramount. This is triggered, in part, by the moves made by Google and others to replace “cookies” and other online identifiers with new, allegedly pro-privacy data-profiling methods to get the same results. We’ve addressed this privacy charade in other posts.

    Date

    Tuesday, September 21, 2021
    Read more
  • Who is Really “Pushing” Your Online Shopping Cart as You Buy Groceries? It’s Big Data, Machine Learning and Lots of Cash from Advertisers

    By: Jeff Chester | Aug 10 2021

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    Sub-title

    The FTC and States Should Investigate “Grocery Tech”

    Online grocery shopping became a pandemic response necessity for those who could afford it, with revenues to exceed $100 billion in 2021. Leading supermarket chains such as Kroger, big box stores like Walmart, online specialist companies such as Instacart, and the ubiquitous Amazon, have all experienced greater demand from the public to have groceries ordered and then quickly delivered or available for pick up.

    Authors

    Jeff Chester
    Date

    Tuesday, August 10, 2021
    Read more
  • Surveillance Marketing Industry Claims Future of an “Open Internet” Requires Massive Data Gathering

    By: Jeff Chester | Jul 13 2021

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    Sub-title

    New ways to take advantage of your “identity” raise privacy, consumer-protection and competition issues

    The Trade Desk is a leading AdTech company, providing data-driven digital advertising services to major brands and agencies.

    Authors

    Jeff Chester
    Date

    Tuesday, July 13, 2021
    Read more
  • Contextual Advertising—Now Driven by AI and Machine Learning—Requires Regulatory Review for Privacy and Marketing Fairness

    By: Jeff Chester | Mar 11 2021

    Contextual Advertising—Now Driven by AI and Machine Learning—Requires Regulatory Review for Privacy and Marketing Fairness

    What’s known as contextual advertising is receiving a big boost from marketers and some policymakers, who claim that it provides a more privacy-friendly alternative to the dominant global surveillance-based “behavioral” marketing model. Google’s plans to eliminate cookies and other third-party trackers used for much of online ad delivery are also spurring greater interest in contextual marketing, which is being touted especially as safe for children.

    Authors

    Jeff Chester
    Date

    Wednesday, March 10, 2021
    Read more
  • The Whole World will Still be Watching You: Google & Digital Marketing Industry “Death-of-the-Cookie” Privacy Initiatives Require Scrutiny from Public Policymakers

    By: Jeffrey Chester | Feb 18 2021

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    The Whole World will Still be Watching You:

    Google & Digital Marketing Industry “Death-of-the-Cookie” Privacy Initiatives Require Scrutiny from Public Policymakers

    Jeff Chester

    Authors

    Jeffrey Chester
    Date

    Thursday, February 18, 2021
    Read more
  • Why Californians Should Vote No on Proposition 24

    By: Katharina Kopp | Sep 24 2020

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    The Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) announced today its opposition to the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), also known as Proposition 24, which will appear on the November 2020 California general election ballot. CDD has concluded that Prop 24 does not sufficiently strengthen Californians’ privacy and may, in fact, set a new, low, and thus dangerous standard for privacy protection in the U.S.

    Authors

    Katharina Kopp
    Read more
  • Joint civil society statement: States use of digital surveillance technologies to fight pandemic must respect human rights

    Apr 2 2020

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    Joint civil society statement: States use of digital surveillance technologies to fight pandemic must respect human rights 2 April 2020

    The COVID-19 pandemic is a global public health emergency that requires a coordinated and large-scale response by governments worldwide. However, States’ efforts to contain the virus must not be used as a cover to usher in a new era of greatly expanded systems of invasive digital surveillance.

    Read more
  • Platforms, Privacy, Pandemic and Data Profiteering: The COVID-19 crisis further fuels unaccountable growth from the digital tech and media industries

    Mar 31 2020

    By Jeffrey Chester

    The COVID-19 pandemic is a profound global public health crisis that requires our upmost attention: to stem its deadly tide and rebuild the global health system so we do not experience such a dire situation in the future. It also demands that we ensure the U.S. has a digital media system that is democratic, accountable, and one that both provides public services and protects privacy.

    Read more
  • The Google Fitbit Deal: Hazardous to Competition, Privacy, and the Future of Our Health

    By: Jeff Chester | Feb 7 2020

    Google’s (i.e., Alphabet, Inc.) proposed acquisition of Fitbit, a leading health wearable device company, is just one more piece illustrating how the company is actively engaged in shaping the future of public health.

    Read more
  • Digital Marketing, Personal Information and Political Campaigns: Advocates should press for policy reforms and not leave it to the “experts”

    By: Jeff Chester | Jan 15 2020

    A new report on how political marketing insiders and platforms such as Facebook view the “ethical” issues raised by the role of digital marketing in elections illustrates why advocates and others concerned about election integrity should make this issue a public-policy priority. We cannot afford to leave it in the hands of “Politech” firms and political campaign professionals, who appear unable to acknowledge the consequences to democracy of their unfettered use of powerful data-driven online-marketing applications.

    Read more
  • Why it’s Google that deserves the anger of YouTubers

    Nov 27 2019

    In the aftermath of Google’s settlement with the FTC over its COPPA violations, some independent content producers on YouTube have expressed unhappiness with the decision. They are unclear how to comply with COPPA, and believe their revenue will diminish considerably.

    Read more
  • Take Action to Protect the Privacy of Children Now

    Nov 20 2019

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    Big Tech companies are lobbying to undermine the only federal online privacy law in the US – one which protects children--and we need your help to stop them. Along with the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), we ask for your help to urge the Federal Trade Commission to strengthen—not weaken—the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Please sign this petition because your voice is essential to a future where children’s privacy is protected from marketers and others.

    Read more
  • FTC complaints filed by Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and Center for Digital Democracy lead to major changes for kids on YouTube

    Oct 8 2019

    Most parents can tell you the most popular website for kids is YouTube. But for years, while Google made millions luring children to YouTube, vacuuming up their sensitive information, and using it to target them with ads, Google told the Big Lie: “YouTube is not for kids. It says so right in our terms of service.”

    That has now changed, thanks to the advocacy of Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) and the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) and the support of a coalition of advocacy groups.

    Read more
  • The FTC’s Google/YouTube decision on children's privacy & digital marketing brings new safeguards, opportunities—and questions

    By: Jeff Chester | Sep 11 2019

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    Sub-title

    Key new COPPA related policies won as groups vow to hold Google, marketers, FTC accountable

    I played a key role helping get the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) passed by Congress in 1998 (when I was executive director of the Center for Media Education). Since then, I have tried to ensure that the country’s only federal law addressing commercial privacy online was taken seriously.

    Authors

    Jeff Chester
    Read more

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What Is The CDD


The Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) is recognized as one of the leading digital rights, consumer protection, and privacy organizations in the United States. For nearly two decades, CDD has been at the forefront of research, public education, and advocacy on behalf of citizens, consumers, communities, and youth.

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