The proliferation of data collection has encouraged innovative uses of data in all corners of society. The analysis of individuals’ personal data once done by researchers in academic institutions has been embraced by a rapidly growing number of companies and not-for-profit organizations. High-profile cases of experimentation and manipulation of user data, as in the case of Facebook and OkCupid, threaten to lead organizations to keep research results confidential to avoid public scrutiny or potential legal liability. FPF is bringing together stakeholders to help develop frameworks and standards to protect the valuable research these organizations produce and to ensure the ethical collection and use of data for research purposes. Additionally, FPF has a number of projects directly related to encouraging the responsible use and sharing of corporate data for academic research, including its annual Award for Research Data Stewardship and a pilot Ethical Data Sharing Review Committee to facilitate trusted transfer of data between corporate and research organizations.
FPF Ethical Data Use Committee will Support Research Relying on Private Sector Data
FPF has launched an independent ethical review committee to provide oversight for research projects that rely upon sharing of corporate data with researchers. Whether researchers are studying the impact of platforms on society, supporting evidence based policymaking, or understanding issues from COVID to climate change, personal data held by companies is increasingly essential to advancing scientific knowledge.
FPF Report Outlines Opportunities to Mitigate the Privacy Risks of AR & VR Technologies
A new report from the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), Augmented Reality + Virtual Reality: Privacy & Autonomy Considerations in Emerging, Immersive Digital Worlds, provides recommendations to address the privacy risks of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. The vast amount of sensitive personal information collected by AR and VR technologies creates serious risks […]
Manipulative UX Design & the Role of Regulation: Event Highlights
On March 24, the FPF hosted “Dark Patterns:” Manipulative UX Design and the Role of Regulation. So-called “dark patterns” are user interface design choices that benefit an online service by coercing, manipulative, or deceiving users into making unintended or potentially harmful decisions. The event provided a critical examination of the ways in which manipulative interfaces can […]
FPF Health and AI & Ethics Policy Counsels Present a Scientific Position at ICML 2020 and at 2020 CCSQ World Usability Day
On November 12, 2020, FPF Policy Counsels Drs. Rachele Hendricks-Sturrup and Sara Jordan presented privacy-by-design alongside human-centered design concepts during the 2020 CCSQ World Usability Day virtual conference. This presentation followed Drs. Hendricks-Sturrup’s and Jordan’s July 2020 scientific position paper presented at the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) 2020, entitled “Patient- Reported Outcomes: A Privacy-Centric and Federated Approach […]
A Look Back at the Role of Law and the Right To Privacy in LGBTQ+ History
By Katelyn Ringrose, Christopher Wolf Diversity Law Fellow at the Future of Privacy Forum, and Christopher Wood, Executive Director of LGBT Tech, with thanks to Connor Colson, FPF Policy Intern. LGBTQ+ rights are, and have always been, linked with privacy. Over the years, privacy-invasive laws, practices, and norms have been used to oppress LGBTQ+ individuals […]
Event Recap: Using Corporate Data for Research – Lessons from an Award-Winning Project
Last week, FPF hosted a virtual event honoring the winners of the first-ever FPF Award for Research Data Stewardship: University of California, Irvine Professor of Cognitive Sciences Mark Steyvers and Lumos Labs, represented by General Manager Bob Schafer. In addition to the awardees, the event featured Daniel L. Goroff, Vice President and Program Director at […]
FPF Submits Comments Regarding Data Protection & COVID-19 Ahead of National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics Hearing
Yesterday, FPF submitted comments to the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) ahead of a Virtual Hearing of the Subcommittee on Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security on September 14, 2020. The hearing will explore considerations for data collection and use during a public health emergency, in light of the deployment of new technologies for […]
New FPF Study: More Than 250 European Companies are Participating in Key EU-US Data Transfer Mechanism
Co-Authored by: Drew Medway & Jeremy Greenberg European Companies’ Participation in Privacy Shield Up Nearly 30% from the Past Year. EU-US Privacy Shield Remains Essential to Leading European Companies. From Major Employers such as Logitech and Siemens to Leading Technology Firms like Telefónica and SAP, European Companies Depend on the EU-US Agreement. The Privacy Shield […]
Supreme Court Rules that LGBTQ Employees Deserve Workplace Protections–More Progress is Needed to Combat Unfairness and Disparity
Authors: Katelyn Ringrose (Christopher Wolf Diversity Law Fellow) and Dr. Sara Jordan (Policy Counsel, Artificial Intelligence and Ethics) Today’s Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County—clarifying that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bans employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity—is a major victory in the fight for LGBTQ […]
FPF Honors UC-Irvine/Lumos Labs Partnership with First-Ever Award for Research Data Stewardship
Click here to view the Call for Nominations for the 2021 FPF Award for Research Data Stewardship. Click here to watch a recording of the 2020 FPF Award for Research Data Stewardship virtual awards event. University of California Irvine (UCI) Professor of Cognitive Science Mark Steyvers and Lumos Labs – the parent company behind Lumosity, […]