The Center for Digital Democracy and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group plan to petition the Federal Trade Commission. They want the FTC to investigate mobile advertising that compromises user privacy.
The groups also contend that mobile ad firms don't fully disclose the extent of the information they collect on consumers and their behaviors.
In their current complaint, CDD and USPIRG request that the FTC:
- Require True Notice and Disclosure of data collection on mobile devices.
- Redefine "Unfair and Deceptive" practices in the mobile marketing arena.
- Review Industry Self-Regulation.
- Protect Youth from Unfair or Deceptive Practices on mobile devices
"They know your location, they're profiling you and categorizing you," said Center for Digital Democracy executive director Jeffrey Chester. "It's disturbing."
The groups say that mobile consumer tracking is even more intrusive
than online marketing due to the location-tracking capabilities of
wireless devices.
They argue that consumers are largely unaware of the implications of clicking on ads and signing up for mobile data services.
Marketers "utterly fail to inform users what data are being collected and how they will be used," the complaint says.
A copy of the new CDD/USPIRG FTC complaint can be found at: http://www.democraticmedia.org/files/FTCmobile_complaint0109.pdf