
White House Cookies Update
So turns out that we don’t yet have a draft cookie policy to react to, but today we have a more formal request for comment that lays out the framework OMB is looking at and guidance on the more specific input OMB is seeking. See Open Government Blog. Here are the details: Under the framework […]

From Webtrends: Thoughts on Web 2.0 Cookie Transparency and Control
One analytics company, Webtrends, speaks up about how the federal government can use cookies. In a blog post and in a comment at the White House Open Government, site they make some sensible points about transparency and the use of first party domains. The ideas echo some of the proposals we and CDT have previously […]

White House Cookies: Wrap-Up of the Open Government Brainstorming: Participation
The White House Open Government site will be hosting discussion of a few issues on Friday, including suggestions by FPF, CDT, EFF and Professor Peter Swire about updating the current government policy around the use of cookies. The topic listed is as follows: Update the cookies policy to come up to speed with the latest […]

Volume of the Obama Administration on Privacy
Our friend Saul Hansell at the New York Times has a piece today entitled “The Obama Administration’s Silence on Privacy, ” which references a speech given yesterday at the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy Conference. The speech was made by Susan Crawford, a science and technology advisor to President Obama. While we are often in synch […]

The Future of Privacy Forum Consumer Privacy Agenda for the New Administration
1. Appoint a Chief Privacy Officer to Promote Fair Information Practices in the Public and Private Sectors. We embrace the idea of government catching up to industry by creating the central role of a Chief Technology Officer, as has been announced. But we also point out the need — recognized by hundreds of privacy-sensitive companies […]

The Future of Privacy Forum Consumer Privacy Agenda for the New Administration
1. Appoint a Chief Privacy Officer to Promote Fair Information Practices in the Public and Private Sectors.
We embrace the idea of government catching up to industry by creating the central role of a Chief Technology Officer, as has been announced. But we also point out the need — recognized by hundreds of privacy-sensitive companies — for a senior level Chief Privacy Officer, someone to ensure that data protection is a central consideration for technology, data and policy decisions. Although many federal agencies have privacy officers, the fact that data is increasingly available across government entities demonstrates the need for a central figure to lead U.S. efforts to respect citizen data. To ensure that the data needed to combat terror will be available while appropriate oversight is in place to protect essential freedoms, the Administration should have an accountable, executive-level figure to drive an agenda based on responsible data practices.