Consumer Reports, a renowned non-profit advocate for consumer rights, just unveiled a groundbreaking tool for privacy-conscious users. The new app, Permission Slip, promises to restore control over personal data in a few simple taps.
Regaining Control Over Personal Data
Today, data privacy is a pressing concern. Every click, every purchase, every online interaction leaves a trail of personal information. With the brand-new Permission Slip app, consumers nationwide can shield their privacy like never before.
The app, available for both iOS and Android, offers an intuitive user interface where users can easily see which companies have their data. In a few taps, they can ask these companies to delete their data or prevent its sale. From giants like Amazon and Netflix to popular brands like McDonald’s, AMC Theatres, Lowe’s, and more, Permission Slip offers a broad spectrum of companies to choose from, with even more set to join the list.
How Does It Work?
Built in the wake of new state privacy laws and the transformative California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) of 2020, the app is a brainchild of Consumer Reports’ Innovation Lab. Using Permission Slip, Consumer Reports becomes an “authorized agent” – filing data requests for consumers and ensuring these requests get the attention they deserve.
Getting started is easy:
- Discover: Tap on a company and see the type of data they have.
- Act: Opt to delete your data or prevent its sale.
- Stay Safe: Engage in automatic requests to data brokers, who often gather vast amounts of data without clear consent.
- Stay Updated: Check the request status and get confirmations once actioned. Some companies may contact you directly for ID verification.
Director of Product R&D, Ginny Fahs, shared her excitement, saying, “This free app makes it simple to control the personal information companies have about you.”
Pushing the Boundaries of Data Privacy
But Consumer Reports isn’t stopping at the app. They’re pioneering a new consumer privacy technology called the Data Rights Protocol. With this, they aim to create an industry-wide open standard, making it more straightforward for companies to honor data privacy requests. The whole initiative, supported in part by the Omidyar Network, signals a decisive move towards granting consumers more power over their personal data.