From Our President: Protecting Your Privacy Online

The Internet has made holiday shopping more convenient for many of us. Last year, over 87 million Americans went online to shop on Black Friday.

But that convenience comes at a steep price—the incessant chipping away at both our online security and our personal privacy. Nearly every time we buy something online (or merely do some browsing!), companies are tracking our shopping habits and collecting our personal information. What they learn about us often gets shared and sold to third parties, who target us with yet more marketing offers.

And while a flood of, say, lawn chair ads can be annoying, our personal info may also be shared in inappropriate ways that expose us to online scams, or unfairly influence whether we get a loan or a job.

Losing control over our personal data should not be the price of convenience. A handful of states have, with CR’s support, passed digital privacy legislation that’s shifting power back to consumers. But no such law exists at the national level. And even when we do have the right to stop the sharing and selling of our information, exercising those rights can be extremely difficult.

To help address this problem, CR has launched Permission Slip, a free mobile app that reveals the kinds of information about you that companies collect, trade, and sell. Then, with a simple tap, you can tell those companies to stop selling your data.

Your support makes innovation possible at CR. Thanks to all of you who helped us create Permission Slip. Let us know what you think, so we can keep improving it—and strengthening privacy protections across the U.S.

Learn more at permissionslipcr.com, and download the free app at Apple’s App Store or the Google Play store.