Healthcare technologies are rapidly evolving, producing new data types and innovative data uses. Data and technology can bring significant enhancements to the healthcare system, deepen patients’ and consumers’ engagement and understanding about their health, and be used as part of initiatives meant to improve health outcomes. It is critical to analyze how sensitive health and wellness data affect individual privacy and understand what it means for doctors, researchers, and companies to responsibly use such data. The FPF health team continues to build on its prior work on Consumer Wearables and Wellness Apps and Devices and Privacy Best Practices for Consumer Genetic Testing Services by exploring and addressing issues at the forefront and intersection of health, data, and privacy. Of main focus are the privacy challenges related to the collection, use, and sharing of both medical data and data that falls outside of the scope of HIPAA and FDA regulations. FPF brings together stakeholders to analyze how new technologies and data practices in the health ecosystem can impact individual privacy and promote the more effective and ethical use of data.
FPF Statement on the Senior Chatbot Protection Bill
As artificial intelligence chatbots and voice assistants become increasingly integrated into the daily support networks of older adults, baseline consumer protections and transparency measures are essential to ensure these tools foster independence and interpersonal trust rather than introduce new risks. It is encouraging to see Congress recognizing the unique intersections of privacy and data protections, […]
Mandating “Evidence-Based” Suicide Detection in Chatbots
Co-authored by Sarah Hanson, FPF Health & Wellness Intern This article discusses suicidal ideation, which may be distressing for some readers. (If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available. You can call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988 Lifeline for free, confidential, 24/7 support.) As many […]
FPF Hosts Frontiers Workshop on Privacy, AI, and Emerging Infrastructure
On June 10, 2026, the FPF Center for Artificial Intelligence convened a Frontiers Workshop in Washington, DC. Held as part of FPF’s National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DoE)-funded Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) Research Coordination Network, the workshop brought together privacy and frontier AI practitioners to examine challenges at the intersection of data […]
Perseverance Pays Off for Vermont Privacy Efforts
Vermont has become the 23rd U.S. state to enact a comprehensive consumer privacy law after Governor Scott signed S.71, the Vermont Data Privacy and Online Surveillance Act (VDPOSA), on June 16. This new law is amongst the broadest in the country, closely resembling the 2025 version of the Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA). For example, […]
No Silver Bullet, But a Silver Lining? PETs and International Data Transfers
Is there a role for Privacy Enhancing Technologies (PETs) to play in the context of international data transfers? The answer to this question could be one of the keys to unlock trusted cross-border data flows at scale in the age of AI. This was the topic explored in a session organized by the Future of […]
Third Time’s the Charm: Connecticut Enacts Annual Privacy Update
The Connecticut Data Privacy Act (CTDPA) has been revised multiple times since being enacted in 2022: SB 3 added heightened protections for consumer health data and for minors in 2023; and SB 1295 in 2025 expanded the law’s scope, updated and added consumer rights, modified the data minimization and purpose limitation requirements, prescribed impact assessment […]
The New(ish) Architecture of Consumer Health and Artificial Intelligence
The rise of AI-powered health tools is prompting new thinking about how, where, and when sensitive health information receives legal protection. According to media reports, consumers are now using general-purpose AI tools to upload or query health information, including medical records, and several companies have recently released large language model (LLM)-based tools customized for consumer […]
Navigating Autonomy and Privacy in Emerging AgeTech: Insights from the FPF Roundtable
As AgeTech expands into homes across the country—seeking to enable older adults to live independently longer—fundamental questions about autonomy, privacy, and trust are coming into sharper focus. How do we balance caregiver support with individual privacy? Should data pertaining to older adults be treated as “sensitive?” And in a fragmented privacy and consumer protection landscape, […]
Africa’s Data Protection Reforms: A Continental Perspective on the Drivers of Change in Legal Frameworks
1. Introduction Within an evolving digital landscape, several African jurisdictions have proposed a variety of reforms to existing and novel legal frameworks that regulate the processing of personal data, and the development and deployment of new technologies. Across the continent, there is a growing consensus among legislators on the need to create a regulatory environment […]
From Proposal to Passage: Enacted U.S. AI Laws, 2023–2025
Over the past three years, lawmakers across the United States have increasingly enacted AI-related laws that shape the development and deployment of AI systems. Between 2023 and 2025, the Future of Privacy Forum tracked 27 pieces of enacted AI-related legislation across 14 states, along with one federal law (the TAKE IT DOWN Act) that carry […]