Research often requires using sensitive data to answer important questions. The ethical collection and analysis of personal information can be challenging to do while still protecting the privacy of the implicated individuals, honoring informed consent, and complying with other legal obligations. The technology, policies, and ethical considerations for researchers are constantly shifting, sometimes making it difficult to keep up. That’s why FPF engages stakeholders across academia and industry to produce recommendations, best practices, and ethical review structures that promote responsible research. Our work is centered around streamlining, encouraging, and promoting responsible research that respects essential privacy and ethical considerations throughout the research lifecycle. FPF works with policymakers to develop legislative protections that support effective, responsible research with strong privacy safeguards, including hosting events that allow policymakers and regulators to engage directly with practitioners from academia, advocacy, and industry.
Big Data Research
TechAmerica hosted a Congressional Briefing, Big Data: What it Means and How it Drives Innovation, this week. The event’s distinguished panel included a variety of industry experts and focused on the meaning of “Big Data”, how data is being used in the market-place, government uses of “Big Data”, and the future of “Big Data”. The panel […]
Swire Presents at Privacy Working Group
On April 26, FPF Senior Fellow and Ohio State Professor Peter Swire gave a presentation to the Privacy Working Group based on his forthcoming article in the University of North Carolina Law Review, entitled “Social Networks, Privacy, and Freedom of Association: Data Empowerment vs. Data Protection.” The presentation focused on Swire’s new research exploring how […]
FPF Published in the Stanford Law Review Online
FPF is pleased to announce that FPF Senior Fellow and visiting law professor at Berkeley, Omer Tene, and FPF Co-Chair and Director Jules Polonetsky’s article, “Privacy in the Age of Big Data: A Time for Big Decisions” has been published in the Stanford Law Review (SLR) Online.
Green Button Privacy
The Future of Privacy Forum applauds today’s announcements by companies that are implementing the Administration’s plan for a Green Button to allow consumers access to the energy data. Providing consumers access to this data will set the stage for new services that provide consumers with more control over how they manage their power use and […]
Jan. 13, 2012 – New Consumer Research to be Released at Smart Grid Symposium, PR Newswire
ATLANTA, Jan. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC), a nonprofit specializing in research and education on smart grid consumer engagement, announced that the second wave of findings from its Smart Grid Consumer Pulse research study will be released at the SGCC Consumer Symposium to be held January 23, 2012 at DistribuTECH in San Antonio. The findings, developed through […]
FTC Is Not Surprised That A Lot Of Children Are On Facebook
Mamie Kresses, Senior Attorney for the FTC’s Division of Advertising Practices, said she thought the findings from the research “miss the mark in some places” and that it is no surprise that there are a lot of kids on Facebook. Kresses added that parents want to be involved in their kids’ online activity and “that is what COPPA is about.” She emphasized that social networks have the option of providing notice and consent to allow children under 13 to participate under COPPA, while also recognizing that COPPA has costs associated with it.
New Study Reveals Unintended Consequences of COPPA
In an effort to comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), an act that requires parental consent for the online collection of information about children under 13, most social networking sites simply ban children under 13 from using their service. A peer-reviewed study released today, “Why Parents Help Their Children Lie to Facebook About Age: Unintended Consequences of the […]
Research Released on Usability of Internet Privacy Tools
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University released a study today titled, “Why Johnny Can’t Opt Out: A Usability Evaluation of Tools to Limit Online Behavioral Advertising.” ”All nine of the tools we tested have serious usability flaws,” said Lorrie Cranor, director of the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory (CUPS). Read the full press release here.
FPF Advisory Board Makes Up 2/3 of Witnesses at Hearing
Today, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has a hearing entitled “Understanding Consumer Attitudes About Privacy.” Four of the six witnesses appearing before the subcommittee are Advisory Board members (or, in the case of Microsoft, representing a company whose CPO is on our Advisory Board).
FPF Supports and Participates in Recent Privacy Law Scholars Conference; Announces 2011 “Privacy Papers for Policy Makers” Submission Period
Last Thursday and Friday a large group of academic privacy experts—as well as leading government, industry and advocacy participants—gathered at the Privacy Law Scholars Conference (PLSC) in Berkeley, California to discuss and hold workshops on several new papers addressing key privacy issues. The conference was hosted by the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology and […]