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.
Annual DC Privacy Forum: Convening Top Voices in Governance in the Digital Age
FPF hosted its second annual DC Privacy Forum: Governance for Digital Leadership and Innovation on Wednesday, June 11. Staying true to the theme, this year’s forum convened key government, civil society, academic, and corporate privacy leaders for a day of critical discussions on privacy and AI policy. Gathering an audience of over 250 leaders from […]
FPF Experts Take The Stage at the 2025 IAPP Global Privacy Summit
By FPF Communications Intern Celeste Valentino Earlier this month, FPF participated at the IAPP’s annual Global Privacy Summit (GPS) at the Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The Summit convened top privacy professionals for a week of expert workshops, engaging panel discussions, and exciting networking opportunities on issues ranging from understanding U.S. state and global privacy […]
Twelve Privacy Investments for Your Company for a Stronger 2025
FPF has put together a list of Twelve Privacy Investments for Your Company for a Stronger 2025 that reflects on new perspectives on the work that privacy teams do at their organizations. We hope there is something here that’s useful where you work, and we’d love to hear other ideas and feedback. Privacy Investments for Your […]
FPF’s Year in Review 2024
With contributions from Judy Wang, Communications Intern 2024 was a landmark year for the Future of Privacy Forum, as we continued to grow our privacy leadership through research and analysis, domestic and global meetings, expert testimony, and more – all while commemorating our 15th anniversary. Expanding our AI Footprint While 2023 was the year of […]
Out, Not Outed: Privacy for Sexual Health, Orientations, and Gender Identities
Co-authored by: Judy Wang (FPF Intern), Jeter Sison (FPF Intern), Jordan Wrigley (FPF Data and Policy Analyst, Health & Wellness) On National Coming Out Day, it’s important to recognize that Coming Out is a right of passage for many LGBTQ+ individuals and a decision that they should be empowered to make for themselves. Protections for […]
AI Forward: FPF’s Annual DC Privacy Forum Explores Intersection of Privacy and AI
The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) hosted its inaugural DC Privacy Forum: AI Forward on Wednesday, June 5th. Industry experts, policymakers, civil society, and academics explored the intersection of data, privacy, and AI. In Washington, DC’s southwest Waterfront at the InterContinental, participants joined in person for a full-day program consisting of keynote panels, AI talks, […]
Top Six Major Privacy Enforcement Trends: A U.S. Legislation Retrospective
Enforcement activity intensifies as U.S. consumer privacy laws continue to evolve and come into effect. In 2023 and 2024 alone, there have been dozens of enforcement actions at the U.S. federal and state levels, some of which reveal or touch on significant throughlines for privacy policy issues, such as what constitutes a privacy violation or […]
Reproductive Rights Have Been Privacy Rights For 50 Years
About fifty years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a case that would provide the basis for federal privacy protections for reproductive health decisions. The importance of protecting reproductive information and choice, particularly where abortion was concerned, was the basis for Roe v. Wade (1973) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), which provided women and […]
The DNA of Genetic Privacy Legislation: Montana, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia Enter 2024 with New Genetic Privacy Laws Incorporating FPF’s Best Practices
In 2023, four states enacted new genetic privacy laws regulating direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies. This blog post provides details on what these new laws cover and how they compare to FPF’s widely-adopted Best Practices for Consumer Genetic Testing Services. Genetic privacy has been under increasing scrutiny at the state and federal levels, and regulators are […]
FPF Files Comments for the FTC Health Breach Notification Rule Addressing Specific Definitions and Clarity of Scope
On August 8th, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) filed comments with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (the Commission) regarding the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to clarify the scope and application of the Health Breach Notification Rule (HBNR). The HBNR was promulgated in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as […]