Federal Trade Commission | Be a Seed for Change

It’s become a welcome tradition: Today is the fourth annual Data Privacy Day. Dozens of countries have been celebrating with events throughout the week to inform and educate us all about our personal data rights and protections.

This is the first year I’ve marked this day as director of privacy across both engineering and product management at Google. I’ve chosen to spend the day in Washington, D.C., where there’s a been a lot of robust and productive discussion lately. People from Congress, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Commerce, and industry and consumer groups have been contributing to these important conversations about how to best protect people’s data, and we’re happy to be participating too. I’m doing my part by bringing my geek sensibilities into a public discussion that we’re hosting today. In fact, that’s what we’re calling it: “The Technology of Privacy: When Geeks Meet Wonks.” I’ll be joined on the panel by technologists from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Federal Trade Commission and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. If you can’t attend in person, don’t worry—we’ll be uploading a video of the event later in the day on our Public Policy blog and you’ll also be able to see it on the Google Privacy Channel on YouTube.

On this Data Privacy Day, a major focus for Google is on creating ways for people to manage and protect their data. We’ve built tools like the Google Dashboard, the Ads Preferences Manager and encrypted search, and we’re always working on further ideas for providing transparency, control and security to empower our users. For example, earlier this week we launched an extension for Chrome users called Keep My Opt-Outs, which enables you to opt out permanently from ad tracking cookies. And pretty soon we’ll be extending the availability of 2-step verification, an advanced account security solution that is now helping protect more than 1,000 new accounts a day from common problems like phishing and password compromise. Right now it’s available to Google Apps Accounts; we’ll be offering it to all users in the next few weeks.

Data Privacy Day 2011 reminds us that as industry and society are busy moving forward, we face new challenges that together we can tackle through conversation and innovation. We’re eager to be part of the solution.

Posted by Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering

An FTC complaint filed against a company for misrepresenting tax relief services to customers has resulted in a temporary restraining order and the organization’s assets being frozen.

Called American Tax Relief LLC, the company used TV and radio commercials, as well as Internet advertising to claim that for a fee it can settle people’s state and federal tax debts.

To trick consumers it abused the name of a real IRS program, that allows people to pay less than what they owe, but which only applies in very limited circumstances.

“The IRS is currently accepting a fraction of back taxes owed to them (sic) for those who qualify.

“The IRS is allowing the people with delinquent tax liabilities a ONE-TIME opportunity to settle the debt ONCE AND FOR ALL.

“But at the same time, the IRS does not advertise, promote or even voluntarily suggest this program,” one of the company’s ads claimed.

People were instructed to call a toll-free hotline, where after a few questions, they were told that they qualify for either the “Offer in Compromise” program or a “penalty abatement.”

The FTC says the company charged between $3,200 to $25,000 to resolve allegedly people’s tax problems, when in fact they couldn’t do it.

According to the IRS, a penalty abatement is only considered when there are very serious reasons to justify late payments, such as natural disasters, severe injury or death.

Also, the “Offer in Compromise” program is only available to people as a last resort and after extensive background checks have been performed to determine that no other payment option remains.

In April 2010, federal agents executed a criminal search warrant at the company’s Beverly Hills office and seized funds from an account, as well as a Ferrari from one its owners.

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, and names American Tax Relief LLC, Alexander Seung Hahn, Joo Hyun Park, and his parents Young Soon Park and Il Kon Park, as defendants.