| Here are some of the horrors I’ve seen this year reading privacy policies and digging into the privacy practices of those connected apps and devices we bring into our homes every day. 🧟 Zombie privacy practices We recently tried contacting a mental health app company before giving them a *Privacy Not Included warning label in our review. After seeing the review, they contacted us, upset that we hadn’t reached out to them first. When we pointed out that we had in fact emailed them three times at the email address listed in their privacy policy and gotten no response, they replied: “Yeah, the person who monitored that email left in March and we haven’t replaced them yet.” ⚰️ Vampire Disclaimers While not exactly bloodsucking, this disclaimer we saw in the privacy policy of a women’s fitness tracker seems to be fueled by a blind lust for data: “Disclaimer: We cannot ensure that all your Personal Information will be disclosed only in the ways described in this Privacy Policy. For example, third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications, or users may abuse or misuse your Personal Information that they collect from the Sites. Even with the most rigorous information security standards, no transmission of data over the internet can be 100% secure.” YIKES. 👻 Ghastly overreach And finally, we were taken aback by this list of personal information collected from a mental health app that claims to help people manage anxiety and depression: “...name, home address, billing address, shipping address, email address, home, work, and mobile telephone numbers, country, date of birth, credit or debit card number (for payment purposes only), driver’s license number, audio, images, and videos of you, Social Security Number, your medical history, health insurance subscriber information, health information, racial or ethnic origin, religion or religious believes, criminal background checks, criminal history, political organizations or beliefs, sexual orientation or preferences… your medical condition, treatment options, physician referrals, prescriptions, and lab results… Information stored on your mobile device, including in other applications… photographs, audio and video clips, and health information." Yup, it’s scary out there. The good news is we’re not alone in the dark here. We have each other. This is where your support of our privacy work here at Mozilla makes a real difference. Our work is putting a spotlight on dastardly devices and no-good apps. And we’re succeeding at influencing companies to change many of their scary ways. Please, take a minute, dip into that candy stash you’re planning on handing out later, eat a peanut butter cup (or two), and then make a donation to help us continue the frightful privacy fight. Trick or Treat Happy Halloween, everyone! – Jen Caltrider *Privacy Not Included
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