Bono Mack seeks answers from Google
Posted: February 17th, 2012 | Author: Erica Felci | Filed under: Political Insider | Tags: Mary Bono MackRep. Mary Bono Mack is asking Google representatives to come back to Capitol Hill and address recent news reports that the media giant has been tracking iPhone users.
Media organizations are citing a recent Stanford University study, which found Google violated users’ privacy by tweaking the settings of the Safari web browser.
Bono Mack is the chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, which deals with online privacy issues.
“Google has some tough new questions to answer in the wake of this latest privacy flap, and that’s why I am asking them to come in for another briefing,” Bono Mack, a Palm Springs Republican, said in a statement today. “Even if unintentional, as the company claims, these types of incidents continue to create consumer concerns about how their personal information is used and shared.”
Bono Mack did not announce when the briefing will be held.
“Companies need to be open about what they’re collecting, and how that information is used. Just as importantly, this needs to be clearly communicated to consumers,” Bono Mack said in the statement.
“While I am determined to get to the bottom of this, some of it simply may be ‘growing pains.’ That’s why it’s important to sit down and figure out how we can better protect consumer privacy in the future.”
Erica Felci is a reporter for The Desert Sun who writes the weekly Political Insider column.