The FTC wants to know how companies are tracking you across computers and smartphones

Consumers these days connect to the Internet using lots of devices -- a person might move almost seamlessly between a laptop or tablet at home to browsing on a smartphone during a commute. Companies are increasingly trying to capture that movement to build more comprehensive profiles of people. And now the Federal Trade Commission says it will look into just what this so-called "cross-device tracking" means for consumers.

The FTC will put on a workshop on the topic in the Fall of 2015, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez announced during a summit held by the International Association of Privacy Professionals. The details of the workshop aren't yet clear, but such events are often the first step to the agency releasing reports and ramping up enforcement on practices that may negatively affect consumers. "We want to make sure to highlight for consumers practices that have significant privacy implications," Chairwoman Ramirez said.