Study: How people perceive online behavioral advertising
Carnegie Mellon University researchers Aleecia M. McDonald and Lorrie Faith Cranor conducted this study of attitudes about Internet advertising. While many of the participants raised privacy issues in the first few minutes of discussion without any prompting about privacy, most knew little or nothing about online advertising and tracking. Comments: 0

NPR series examines digital privacy
National Public Radio (NPR) has launched series that looks at many aspects of digital privacy, including a discussion on cell phone privacy, social networking, and privacy law. Comments: 0

No job, no insurance delivers an economic knock-out to families
Families USA has released a report that details the "one-two punch" of families losing both their jobs and their health insurance. The report contends that there are far more people in 2009 lacking health coverage than the 46.3 million cited by 2008 Census Bureau data. Comments: 0

Spanish-speakers in Louisiana struggle to gain access to financial services
Appleseed Louisiana has released a study focused on immigrant banking experiences in the New Orleans area. The report encourages area banks and credit unions to adopt policies and practices that will better meet the needs of Latino immigrants. Comments: 1

Overdraft fees: How to beat the bank
Video report of one man's war with Wells Fargo about overdraft fees. Comments: 0

Forced arbitration ubiquitous in consumer contracts
A report from Public Citizen reveals that mandatory binding arbitration clauses, or “forced arbitration,” are prevalent in consumer contracts. Seventy-five percent of companies in eight industries used forced arbitration, according to the report. Comments: 2

Privacy “report card” gives Obama Administration mediocre grades
The Electronic Privacy Information Center released the results of a privacy "report card," grading the Obama Administration on its activities with regard to consumer privacy, medical privacy, cybersecurity, and civil liberties. Comments: 0

Prepaid cards: New report finds fees, gotchas
A new report finds that upon close examination, prepaid debit cards are laden with numerous types of fees and other gotchas. Comments: 0

Privacy controls for web browsers given a detailed look in CDT report
The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) has released an updated review of privacy tools available in five common web browsers. The report compares browser offerings in three key areas: privacy mode, cookie controls and object controls. Comments: 1

Short-term payday loans force customers to quickly re-borrow
The Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) has issued a report on payday loans which finds that three quarters of loan volume in the industry is generated by borrowers who, after meeting the short-term due date of the loan, must re-borrow before their next pay period. Comments: 0