NY Launches Consumer Protection Effort For Digital App Users

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state is launching a program aimed at informing consumers about the terms of service and privacy policies of popular internet applications and services.

Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the state Division of Consumer Protection will examine companies' terms of service and then make policy recommendations to ensure consumers are protected. He says the education initiative will begin with an analysis of the privacy policy of Venmo, the popular cash transfer digital app where users can log in using their Facebook credentials.

New York's move comes two week after Cuomo directed the state Department of State and Department of Financial Services to investigate Facebook after a Wall Street Journal report said the social media company harvests a large amount of personal data from smartphone apps without users' knowledge.