Consumers Union is an expert, independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves.
I went online to buy anti-virus protection for $9.99. The company charged my card $29.99. It was VTech who tried to sell me all kinds of stuff I didn’t need. They were in my computer with my permission but I think they put something in to track me because they called…
Internet
You and your family rely on the internet for information and as a marketplace for the products and services you need. We’re dedicated to an open internet that fosters innovation and free speech, and gives you direct access to entertainment, information and products.
Consumers Union Documents
- Consumers Union Comments to FTC on Facial Recognition Technologies
January 31, 2012 Federal Trade Commission 600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. Room H-113 (Annex P) Washington,DC20580 Comments of Consumers Union Face Facts: A Forum on Facial Recognition Project Number P115406 Consumers Union,[1] the public policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports®, appreciates the opportunity to provide comment on “Face Facts: A Forum on Facial Recognition Continue Reading
- Community Group comments on W3C DNT
Date: Jan. 8, 2012 Editors: Lee Tien (EFF) and John M. Simpson (Consumer Watchdog) This draft document represents the current consensus views of the following organizations: Center for Digital Democracy, Center for Media and Democracy, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers International, Consumers Union, Consumer Watchdog, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fundacja Panoptykon, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and World Continue Reading
- AT&T/T-Mobile Fact Sheet
From a consumer standpoint, it’s hard to see much of anything to like about AT&T’s proposed purchase of T-Mobile. The $39 billion mega merger would create the country’s largest wireless company, which along with Verizon – the other big national player in wireless – would control nearly 80 percent of the U.S. marketplace. Consumers Union Continue Reading
- Wireless Device Freedom
What is wireless device freedom and what does it mean for consumers?
- What is Network Neutrality?
What is network neutrality and what does it mean to consumers?
- Reclassification of Broadband Service by the FCC
What is reclassification and what does it mean for consumers?
Consumers Union News Releases
- Consumers Union opposes House FCC bills
News Release Consumers Union – Policy and Advocacy Division of Consumer Reports Wednesday, November 16, 2011 WASHINGTON — As a House subcommittee prepares to mark up two bills to restructure the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy division of Consumer Reports, is urging members to oppose the legislation. The House Continue Reading
- Consumer groups urge House Judiciary Committee to oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act
News Release Tuesday, November 15, 2011 WASHINGTON — Three national consumer groups today urged members of the House Judiciary Committee to oppose the Stop Online Piracy Act (H.R. 3261) in advance of a November 16 committee hearing on the bill. Consumers Union, Consumer Federation of America, and U.S. Public Interest Group said they “agree that Continue Reading
- Consumers Union on FCC Vote to Overhaul Universal Service Fund
News Release Consumers Union – Public Policy and Advocacy Division of Consumer Reports Thursday, October 27, 2011 WASHINGTON – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) today voted 4-0 to approve an order to overhaul the Universal Service Fund to help expand the availability of broadband service. Parul P. Desai, Policy Counsel for Consumers Union, the public Continue Reading
- Consumer Groups Urge FCC To Reject “ABC Plan” For Universal Service Fund
News Release Consumers Union – Publisher of Consumer Reports Tuesday, October 04, 2011 WASHINGTON – Consumers Union, Consumer Federation of America, the National Consumer Law Center, National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates and AARP today sent a joint letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to raise serious concerns about the broadband industry’s Continue Reading
- Net Neutrality Rules Announced Today Work to Protect Consumers, Open Internet
Consumers Union – Publisher of Consumer Reports Friday, September 23, 2011 Net Neutrality Rules Announced Today Work to Protect Consumers, Open Internet WASHINGTON, DC – The official rules regarding Network Neutrality were published in the Federal Register today by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The rules aim to limit Internet providers from favoring or discriminating Continue Reading
- Consumers Union Praises FTC Proposal to Improve, Update Rules for Children’s Online Privacy
Consumers Union, Nonprofit Publisher of Consumer Reports Friday, September 16, 2011 WASHINGTON – Ioana Rusu, regulatory counsel for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, today praised the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s proposal to improve and update the rules for protecting children’s online privacy. “As mobile technology rapidly expands, we’re pleased the FTC Continue Reading
- Seven States Join DOJ in Suit Against AT&T
Consumers Union – Publisher of Consumer Reports Friday, September 16, 2011 WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) gained the support of seven state attorneys general in their efforts to block the AT&T/T-Mobile merger. Attorneys general from New York, Washington, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania, representing more than one-third of the Continue Reading
- Consumer Groups Statement on OECD Internet Policy Principles
Wednesday, June 29, 2011 Consumers Union (CU) and the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) today made the following statement regarding the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Draft Communiqué of Principles for Internet Policy-Making.We find much to support in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Communiqué, which lays out broad principles that promote Continue Reading
- Consumers Union Unveils New Poll Results in Online Privacy Hearing Testimony
Two-thirds of consumers say government should help safeguard online privacy
- Consumers Union to Testify Against AT&T/T-Mobile Merger at House Hearing
Consumers Union to Testify Against AT&T/T-Mobile Merger at House Hearing Merger would have negative impact on prices, choice, and innovation, CU says Thursday, May 26, 2011 Contact: David Butler or Kara Kelber, 202-462-6262 dbutler@consumer.org or kkelber@consumer.org WASHINGTON, D.C. — Parul P. Desai, policy counsel for Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, will testify Continue Reading
Blog Posts
- FTC Says Privacy Disclosures for Kids’ Mobile Apps are “Disappointing”
On February 16, the Federal Trade Commission released a report that looked at the effectiveness of privacy disclosures made by mobile apps for children. The results of the report are dismal. The FTC dubbed the privacy disclosures “disappointing” because it would be nearly impossible for an average consumer to figure out what data a mobile app was Continue Reading
- Every step you take: DNT must include geolocation and mobile apps
Geolocation is an increasingly popular Internet feature with many benefits. With geolocation, you can let your friends know where you are, locate places like restaurants or gas stations nearby, or find out location-specific information like weather and directions. There are many popular websites and apps that encourage users to share their location, such as Twitter, Continue Reading
- Do Not Track: Set it and forget it
The World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Tracking Protection Working Group released the first public working draft of a proposed Do Not Track standard in November 2011. While these standards are still in the very early stages of development, we are eager to see solutions that would allow users to prevent third-party tracking. Current tracking prevention tools Continue Reading
- Do Not Track: The option to refuse tracking by third-party websites
Almost every web site out there tracks user information to some degree. Some forms of tracking can make your online experience more convenient and efficient. For example, certain cookies save your usernames and passwords, so you don’t have to log in every time, while others keep track of items you’ve placed in your shopping cart. Continue Reading
- Google Chrome Gets “Do Not Track” Tool
Google Chrome now has Do Not Track! This tool, developed by privacy expert Jonathan Mayer from Stanford University, allows Chrome users to tell websites that they do not wish to be tracked as they surf the net. Major browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Apple Safari have already implemented some version of the Do Not Track tool Continue Reading
- How Creepy is Face Scanning Software?
Imagine passing a digital ad board that silently and instantly determines your gender and age, possibly even your current emotional state, and targets you with personalized ads. Or what if you walked into a clothing store and immediately received gender and age-based suggestions, size availability, and instant coupons on a digital display inside the store? Continue Reading
- How to Opt Out of Tag Suggestions on Facebook
Facebook recently got in some trouble when it automatically began analyzing users’ photos and suggesting photo “tags” to friends. The company claims this technology was implemented to allow us to quickly identify and tag our friends in our photos all at the same time. But some worry that, in light of Facebook’s 800 million active Continue Reading
- Wireless Agreement Could Make Bills Less Shocking
“Bill Shock”—those unexpected and often-quite-large charges that suddenly pop up on cell phone bills – are consistently one of the top complaints from consumers about their wireless carrier. That’s changing, however. Spurred by aggressive lobbying from Consumers Union and other public interest groups – including petitions signed more than 62,000 CU activists – wireless companies Continue Reading
- DOJ Lawsuit to Block ATT-T-Mobile Deal is Great, But the Fight is Far from Over
In a major win for consumers, the Department of Justice recently filed an antitrust lawsuit aiming to block the proposed merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. The complaint points to substantial concerns regarding marketplace competition and the elimination of T-Mobile as a low-cost option. For those reasons and others, Consumers Union strongly opposes AT&T’s $39 billion Continue Reading
- A Bad Deal: What Consumers are Saying about the Proposed AT&T/T Mobile Merger
Consumers Union has received thousands of comments from consumers like you who are concerned about the proposed AT&T/T-Mobile merger currently under consideration by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and want to have their voices heard. Take a look at what current customers have to say, and share your comment about the AT&T and T-Mobile merger. Continue Reading
News Articles
- A glimpse at Amazon's app store
Bored bloggers at a German website tried typing the expected address of Amazon’s forthcoming app store, and were rewarded with a glimpse of the initial stock and pricing.
- Apple iPad 2 supplies 'threatened by Japan disaster'
The Japanese earthquake and tsunami are threatening supplies of iPad 2 components as Apple prepares to launch the device worldwide.
Stop SOPA: Who decides that a website is “rogue”?
Supporters of the controversial piracy proposals now before Congress (known in shorthand as SOPA and PIPA) say all the fuss is misplaced because they only want to stop "rogue" sites that promote piracy. While piracy is a problem, defining a "rogue" website becomes an even greater problem.
America's favorite web services could be swept into an onslaught of pointless litigation. Don't let Congress infringe our access to a robust and free internet
