Privacy Complaint Tool helps protect personal data

A new service should help bring privacy concerns to light

Internet users in the US now have access to a Privacy Complaint Tool that will allow them to quickly complain about sites they believe have violated their privacy.

The tool has been launched by US digital rights group the Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT), which will transfer all the complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

"Add CDT's Privacy Complaint Tool bookmarklet to your bookmarks bar. Then, whenever you discover a web site, an application or another product or service that you believe is violating your privacy, click on the bookmarklet," said the CDT.

"Fill out the form that opens in a new window and choose to file your complaint with the FTC or to share it with friends via Twitter, Facebook, Digg or email."

The complaints will apply only to US web sites, but all web users can use the service.

"The tool is agnostic as far as where the complaints come from. If something is wrong with a company headquartered in the US and the complaint is valid, the FTC will investigate. It does not matter whether the complaint comes from Ohio or Sheffield," said CDT director of communications, Brock Meeks.

"Additionally the tool may be able to bring change to UK web sites as well because it allows users to share their complaints through social media sites and rally support."

A spokeswoman for the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said the UK body will issue its own draft code of practice for online privacy next week that will include a section on how web users can quickly get in touch with UK web sites that raise concerns.

The CDT said that its tool will store all the complaints it receives in a database and then transfer the information to the FTC on a monthly basis. The organisation is working with the FTC to streamline the process and automate the transfer.

The CDT has also launched a campaign called Take Back Your Privacy, aimed at encouraging users to demand more privacy controls from web sites, manufacturers and lawmakers.