WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today on consumer online privacy.

Witness List: 

Panel I 

The Honorable Jon D. Leibowitz, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission

The Honorable Julius Genachowski, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission

Panel II

Dr. Guy "Bud" Tribble, Vice President, Software Technology, Apple, Inc.

Mr. Bret Taylor, Chief Technology Officer, Facebook 

Dr. Alma Whitten, Privacy Engineering Lead, Google, Inc.

Mr. Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies, The Cato Institute

Ms. Dorothy Atwood, Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer, AT&T, Inc.

Professor Joe Turow, Annenberg School of Communications, University of Pennsylvania

Key Quotations from Today’s Hearing: 

“The consumer I am concerned about is not a savvy computer whiz-kid. I am not talking about a lawyer who reads legalese for a living and can delve into the fine print of what privacy protections he or she is getting. I am talking about ordinary Internet users. I am talking about a 55-year-old coal miner in West Virginia who sends an email to his son in college. I’m talking about a 30-year-old mother who uses her broadband connection to research the best doctor she can take her sick toddler to see. I’m talking about a 65-year-old man who just signed up for a Facebook account so he can view photos of his grandson, and reconnect with old friends. We have a duty to ask whether these people – and the millions of Americans just like them – fully understand and appreciate what information is being collected about them, and whether or not they are empowered to stop certain practices from taking place.”

Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

“The FTC has a long track record of protecting consumer privacy. With the emergence of the Internet and the growth of electronic commerce beginning in the mid-1990s, the FTC expanded its focus to include online privacy issues. Since then, both online and offline privacy issues have been at the forefront of the Commission’s agenda.”

The Honorable Jon D. Leibowitz, Chairman, Federal Trade Commission 

“The right to privacy is central to our nation’s values and way of life, and the Federal Communications Commission has long worked to implement Congress’s directive to protect the privacy of consumers who rely on our nation’s communications infrastructure. The Commission also recognizes that privacy has more than intrinsic value: it is critical for promoting investment, innovation, and adoption of cutting edge communications technologies and services that bolster our economy, promote our global competitiveness, and improve our daily lives. When consumers fear that their privacy is at risk, they are less likely to use new means of communication.”

The Honorable Julius Genachowski, Chairman, Federal Communications Commission 

“Apple is strongly committed to giving our customers clear notice and control over their information, and we believe our products do this in a simple and elegant way. We share the Committee’s concerns about the collection and misuse of all customer data, particularly privacy data, and appreciate this opportunity to explain our policies and procedures.”

Dr. Guy "Bud" Tribble, Vice President, Software Technology, Apple, Inc. 

“The people who use Facebook supply Facebook’s content, and are the driving force behind the continued innovation and constant improvement of our service. Our goal is to make it simpler for people to connect and share, and to give them the tools to control their information.”

Mr. Bret Taylor, Chief Technology Officer, Facebook 

“At Google, privacy is something we think about every day across every level of our company. We make this effort because privacy is both good for our users and critical for our business. If we fail to offer clear, usable privacy controls and strong security, our users will simply leave.”

Dr. Alma Whitten, Privacy Engineering Lead, Google, Inc. 

“Privacy is a complicated human interest. People use the word “privacy” to refer to many different things, but its strongest sense is control of personal information, which exists when people have legal power to control information and when they exercise that control consistent with their interests and values.”

Mr. Jim Harper, Director of Information Policy Studies, The Cato Institute

“Consumers have a consistent set of expectations about their privacy wherever they go online, regardless of which portals they enter and the number of places they visit. In light of this, there ought to be consistent standards to meet those expectations throughout the Internet ecosystem.”

Ms. Dorothy Atwood, Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Chief Privacy Officer, AT&T, Inc. 

“There are many great things about the new media environment. But when companies track people without their knowledge, sell their data without their knowledge or permission, and then decide whether they are, in the words of the industry, targets or waste, we have a social problem.”

Professor Joe Turow, Annenberg School of Communications, University of Pennsylvania

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