If you happen to be a fan of shopping online, this post is a major reality check for you and thousands of others.
The New York Attorney General’s office just confirmed through a new statement how dozens of famous and trending eCommerce websites are not safe, featuring defensive controls when it comes to privacy.
He also spoke about how there was a lackluster system in place where the owners of these pages failed to take the right steps to make sure disclosures were accurate and the privacy controls in place really worked.
This means businesses were seen giving guidance regarding online privacy through the office, including the right precautionary measures that needed to be exercised to ensure safe and efficient experiences.
As per this report, so many investigators mentioned that complete scrutiny of both privacy controls and tracking codes was rolled out in different locations. This is where it was found that 13 pages that had high trafficking rates and drew in a staggering 75M people in March alone were inundated with privacy issues. This meant either the controls were broken or unreliable to begin with.
Furthermore, the statement from the AG office highlighted how visitors to these places who made attempts to disable the tracking tech would still be tracked, no matter what.
As of right now, the specific list of websites is yet to be named but they were said to be ‘well-known’ and were trending for selling popular products for consumers in demand. Common items include books, live event tickets, and clothing.
The firms in operations for these websites were seen fixing privacy controls after an alert was generated related to the issues.
Some of the issues were said to be examined by a series of investigators who noted major discrepancies that were not only confusing but quite misleading.
For instance, there was one particular website that needed shoppers who didn’t wish to be tracked to fill out a two-step process. They would need to click the slider and then press Save Settings.
It wouldn’t be wrong to mention how many would overlook the second step as the terms save settings popped up in different locations across the screen, not to mention how it was also visible in a different color (faded grey hue) to be more exact and no prominent indicators of what was on offer.
So, it was not hard at all to miss that second step, leading to many assuming they were not being tracked but in reality, they were without realizing that.
The head of Consumer Reports and the director of the tech policy, Justin Brookman explained through a new report how he was so happy to see the relevant authorities taking action at the right time.
The fact that they were also giving shoppers guidance was another point worth mentioning. But that does not mean the concerns cease to exist. The issue is not something new and it’s alarming how the matter was before raised but not a lot has been done in that regard.
There were some online pages offering health advice that again due to tech reasons, failed to roll out the necessary privacy controls, leaving users in a vulnerable position. Some even had glitches where limits on cookies couldn’t be offered.
Still, the effect taken on by authorities to act immediately and warn those at stake is a great move and one that needs appreciation. No one is yet to be named and shamed but only when the relevant authorities roll out penalties for those guilty of the act can there really be change.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: Meta Reaches Massive $1.4 Billion Settlement With Texas Over Facebook’s Tag Suggestions For Photos
The New York Attorney General’s office just confirmed through a new statement how dozens of famous and trending eCommerce websites are not safe, featuring defensive controls when it comes to privacy.
He also spoke about how there was a lackluster system in place where the owners of these pages failed to take the right steps to make sure disclosures were accurate and the privacy controls in place really worked.
This means businesses were seen giving guidance regarding online privacy through the office, including the right precautionary measures that needed to be exercised to ensure safe and efficient experiences.
As per this report, so many investigators mentioned that complete scrutiny of both privacy controls and tracking codes was rolled out in different locations. This is where it was found that 13 pages that had high trafficking rates and drew in a staggering 75M people in March alone were inundated with privacy issues. This meant either the controls were broken or unreliable to begin with.
Furthermore, the statement from the AG office highlighted how visitors to these places who made attempts to disable the tracking tech would still be tracked, no matter what.
As of right now, the specific list of websites is yet to be named but they were said to be ‘well-known’ and were trending for selling popular products for consumers in demand. Common items include books, live event tickets, and clothing.
The firms in operations for these websites were seen fixing privacy controls after an alert was generated related to the issues.
Some of the issues were said to be examined by a series of investigators who noted major discrepancies that were not only confusing but quite misleading.
For instance, there was one particular website that needed shoppers who didn’t wish to be tracked to fill out a two-step process. They would need to click the slider and then press Save Settings.
It wouldn’t be wrong to mention how many would overlook the second step as the terms save settings popped up in different locations across the screen, not to mention how it was also visible in a different color (faded grey hue) to be more exact and no prominent indicators of what was on offer.
So, it was not hard at all to miss that second step, leading to many assuming they were not being tracked but in reality, they were without realizing that.
The head of Consumer Reports and the director of the tech policy, Justin Brookman explained through a new report how he was so happy to see the relevant authorities taking action at the right time.
The fact that they were also giving shoppers guidance was another point worth mentioning. But that does not mean the concerns cease to exist. The issue is not something new and it’s alarming how the matter was before raised but not a lot has been done in that regard.
There were some online pages offering health advice that again due to tech reasons, failed to roll out the necessary privacy controls, leaving users in a vulnerable position. Some even had glitches where limits on cookies couldn’t be offered.
Still, the effect taken on by authorities to act immediately and warn those at stake is a great move and one that needs appreciation. No one is yet to be named and shamed but only when the relevant authorities roll out penalties for those guilty of the act can there really be change.
Image: DIW-Aigen
Read next: Meta Reaches Massive $1.4 Billion Settlement With Texas Over Facebook’s Tag Suggestions For Photos
