• The FCC has set the comment cycle in the proceeding concerning the privacy and security of information stored on mobile devices. It seeks comment on the privacy and security practices of mobile wireless service providers and the application of existing privacy and security requirements to customer information stored on mobile communications devices. Comments are due July 13, 2012; Reply Comments are due July 30, 2012. CC Docket No. 96-115. The text of the Public Notice is available here.
  • On June 19, 2012, the House Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition, and the Internet held a hearing titled “New Technologies and Innovations in the Mobile and Online space, and the Implications for Public Policy.” At issue was how to strike the right balance between the protection of personal information and the ability of online and mobile companies to generate revenue from a customer’s personal data. The Subcommittee is chaired by Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., who asked what the costs to businesses would be if companies were restricted from collecting information from and about users. According to Morgan Reed, Executive Director of the Association for Competitive Technology, targeted advertising constitutes about 20% of the revenue mobile application developers. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, stated that “the tech sector is something in the country that’s working” and Congress needs “to be ultra careful that we don’t convolute the process to the point that young entrepreneurs are unable to start up.” Written remarks and testimony from the hearing are available here.