WHAT:
The Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection, chaired by Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH), held a hearing today to examine the digital advertising ecosystem and its implications for consumer privacy and data protection.
WHY:
#SubDCCP Chairman Latta said, “The online advertising ecosystem has many players that contribute to its effectiveness. Understanding how each of these players interact with each other and with consumers is an important step in discussing larger issues like privacy and data security. As always, it is one of the primary goals of the Energy and Commerce Committee to ensure that consumers are informed and can make educated decisions about their online habits."
WHO:
* Howard Beales, Professor of Strategic and Public Policy, George Washington University (Opening Statement )
* Justin Brookman, Director, Privacy and Technology Policy, Consumers Union (Opening Statement )
* Rachel Glasser, Global Chief Privacy Officer, Wunderman (Opening Statement )
* Mike Zaneis, President and CEO, Trustworthy Accountability Group (Opening Statement )
KEY MOMENTS:
#SubDCCP Vice Chairman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) posed an important question to our expert panel, “Do any of you believe consumers have a clear understanding of what’s contained in a privacy policy?"
To which all four witnesses answered with a unanimous no.
“There are many different tools that you can use to track users online…persistent identifiers tend to be the most common. Those would include things like cookies or advertising IDs. They don’t identify an individual personally…instead it allows the advertiser to make associations and inferences on types of behavior and the types of things that a consumer enjoys." - Ms. Rachel Glasser, Global Chief Privacy Officer, Wunderman.
MORE:
This hearing is part of the committee’s larger efforts to examine online consumer protection issues. Over the past year, E&C has held hearings with the CEOs of Facebook and Equifax on some of the biggest recent cases of consumer data misuse, in addition to examining the use of algorithms, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and more.
RESOURCES:
The Majority Memorandum, witness testimony, and an archived webcast are available online HERE.
