Reps. Walter Jones, R-N.C., and Michael Capuano, D-Mass.,...
Reps. Walter Jones, R-N.C., and Michael Capuano, D-Mass., introduced the We Are Watching You Act on Friday aimed at preventing companies from spying on consumers via their video devices. The bill would ban video service operators from collecting visual and…
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auditory information about consumers unless the company displays a message that says: “We are watching you” and provides consumers with information about the data that are collected. The bill would also require video service operators to obtain express consent from a consumer to collect any visual or auditory information, the legislation said. The law would be enforced by the FTC under its regulations regarding unfair or deceptive acts or practices. “This may sound preposterous, but it is neither a joke nor an exaggeration,” Capuano said in a news release. “These DVRs would essentially observe consumers as they watch television as a way to super-target ads. It is an incredible invasion of privacy,” Capuano said. “Given what we have recently learned about the access that the government has to the phone numbers we call, the emails we send and the websites we visit, it is important for consumers to decide for themselves whether they want this technology,” he said. “Allowing this type of technology to be installed in the homes of American citizens without their consent would be an egregious invasion of privacy,” said Jones in a news release.