Justin Brookman, Consumer Reports
New privacy laws around the world are give consumers the right to stop unwanted processing of their personal information. But how can we be expected to tell thousands of different companies that we don't want our data sold? "Do Not Track" was an early effort to give consumers scalable privacy rights, but the effort foundered without the weight of the law behind it. Now, new privacy laws are both creating new rights and letting consumers delegate to others the ability to exercise those rights. Universal signals and global settings now may legally bind companies and expose them to liability for ignoring user preferences. The Global Privacy Control is one effort to allow consumers to transmit to every website they visit a request not to have their data shared with others. This and similar efforts may illuminate how to make privacy rights practically workable in the future.
Justin Brookman, Consumer Reports
Justin Brookman is the Director of Consumer Privacy and Technology Policy for Consumer Reports. Justin is responsible for helping the organization continue its groundbreaking work to shape the digital marketplace in a way that empowers consumers and puts their data privacy and security needs first. This work includes using CR research to identify critical gaps in consumer privacy, data security, and technology law and policy. Justin also builds strategies to expand the use and influence of the Digital Standard, developed by CR and partner organizations to evaluate the privacy and security of products and services.
Prior to joining CR, Brookman was Policy Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Technology Research and Investigation. At the FTC, Brookman conducted and published original research on consumer protection concerns raised by emerging technologies such as cross-device tracking, smartphone security, and the internet of things. He also helped to initiate and investigate enforcement actions against deceptive or unfair practices, including actions against online data brokers and digital tracking companies.
He previously served as Director of Consumer Privacy at the Center for Democracy & Technology, a digital rights nonprofit, where he coordinated the organization’s advocacy for stronger protections for personal information in the U.S. and Europe.
author = {Justin Brookman},
title = {The Global Privacy Control: Exercising Legal Rights at Scale},
year = {2022},
address = {Santa Clara, CA},
publisher = {USENIX Association},
month = feb
}