In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about a new privacy proposal in California and ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s thoughts on smartphones.

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California Proposal Would Force Default Privacy Settings on Social Networks

A new law proposed in California would require social networking websites to have default privacy settings in place before users sign up for the service. The bill, SB242 from Senator Ellen Corbett, already faces stiff opposition from Internet companies, including Facebook and Google. Facebook spokesperson Andrew Noyes called the legislation “a serious threat both to Facebook’s business in California and to meaningful California consumers’ choices about use of personal data.” SB242 has stiff penalties for companies that don’t adhere to its rules. Companies would face a $10,000 fine if they were to ”display users’ home addresses or telephone number without their consent” or fail to remove information requested by the user “within 48 hours of the request.”

How California Proposal Affects Kids and Teens

Forbes privacy blogger Kashmir Hill also writes about SB242, but her article focuses on the bill’s language regarding children and teen’s online. For users under the age of 18, the 48-hour window for removing content still applies, but the removal request would come from the user’s parent. Kashmir speculates that this law would give parents the ability to “prune” their kids’ Facebook profiles of any content they find objectionable. Also, given how difficult it is for Facebook to respond to user requests due to its sheer size, it is likely that the 48-hour window for removing content would be difficult to adhere to.

Google’s Eric Schmidt Says Smartphones Should “Remember Everything”

In a recent interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, Google Executive Chairman and former CEO Eric Schmidt talked about smartphones and why storing information is necessary for them to function correctly. Quoting Schmidt: “Today, your phone knows who you are, where you are, where — where you’re going, to some degree, because it can see your path. And with that and with your permission, it’s possible for software and software developers to predict where you’re going to go, to suggest people you should meet, to suggest activities and so forth. So ultimately what happens is the mobile phone does what it does best, which is remember everything and make suggestions.” Google, along with Apple, recently came under fire over claims that the company’s smartphones were collecting location data users without their explicit consent

Teen Privacy on Smartphones

Many teens spend their entire waking life on their smartphones. This article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution discusses why that could be a problem. Featuring an interview with a super-vigilant mom, the article discusses how some parents strictly monitor what their kids do online and via their smartphones to protect them from making online reputation mistakes.

Judge Dismisses Majority of Privacy Complaints Against Facebook

According to Law.com, “a San Jose federal judge on Thursday threw out most of the claims against Facebook Inc. in a privacy suit that claims it shared personal information with advertisers without users’ consent.” According to the Law.com analysis, “the ruling by Chief Judge James Ware signals the difficulty that plaintiffs may have in recovering damages from social media companies for alleged privacy breaches.”