Connected technologies and always-on data flows are helping make today’s cities and communities more livable, productive, and sustainable. At the same time, these technologies raise concerns about individual privacy, freedom of choice, and institutional discrimination. How do we leverage the benefits of a data-rich society while giving members of our community the confidence of knowing their privacy is protected? How can we address pressing local problems — from housing to highways, potholes to policing — and deliver public services in equitable, privacy-conscious ways?
Working collaboratively with public, private, academic, and civil society leaders, FPF builds tools and best practices to guide how cities and local communities collect, manage, and use personal data to improve services for individuals. A cornerstone of this work is FPF’s Civic Privacy Leaders Network, a peer network supported by the National Science Foundation that brings together privacy leaders from 30+ local governments across the U.S. and Canada to navigate emerging privacy issues, share practical guidance, and promote fair and transparent data practices.
Visit the Smart Communities Resources web page for a comprehensive list of FPF’s ongoing work in this area.
FPF at CPDP 2022: Panels and Side Events
As the annual Computers, Privacy and Data Protection (CPDP) conference took place in Brussels between May 23 and 25, several Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) staff took part in different panels and events organized by FPF or other organizations before and during the conference. In this blogpost, we provide an overview of such events, with […]
FPF Launches Infographics in Chinese
As FPF’s work expands to include an international audience, we are pleased to relaunch FPF’s popular infographics in various languages. Because conversations around data protection have become more global, the need for high-quality information and new forms of communication in different languages continues to increase. The infographics translation project aims to help FPF provide a […]
FPF and Mobility Data Collaborative Release Resources to Help Organizations Assess the Privacy Risks of Sharing of Mobility Data
The Mobility Data Sharing Assessment was developed by Chelsey Colbert and Kelsey Finch. The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and SAE’s Mobility Data Collaborative (MDC) have created a transportation-tailored privacy assessment that provides practical and operational guidance to organizations that share mobility data, such as data from the use of ride-hailing services, e-scooters, or bike-sharing […]
Chelsey Colbert Discusses Trends in Mobility & Location Data
Chelsey Colbert, Policy Counsel, leads FPF’s mobility and location data portfolio. Prior to joining FPF, Chelsey was a lawyer at an international business law firm in Canada and was seconded as in-house privacy and data governance counsel to Sidewalk Labs, an Alphabet company that designs and builds urban innovations. Chelsey holds a J.D. with a […]
FPF & Dataskydd.net Webinar – Privacy in High Density Crowd Contexts
Authors: Hunter Dorwart and Rob van Eijk On 30 September 2020, Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and Dataskydd.net jointly organized the webinar ‘Privacy in High Density Crowd Contexts’. A key aspect of the webinar was the role of industry-driven privacy standards in the development and deployment of privacy-friendly technologies for crowd management, mobile connectivity, and […]
Civic Data Privacy Leaders Convene at MetroLab Annual Summit
By Kelsey Finch, FPF Senior Counsel The MetroLab Network’s Annual Summit brought together an inspired group of civic, academic, industry, and nonprofit leaders to discuss the most important issues in smart cities and civic innovation. For the third year in a row, FPF partnered with MetroLab Network to promote data privacy perspectives and to advance responsible […]
A Conversation with Christopher Wolf, Founder of FPF
Christopher Wolf is the founder and Board President of the Future of Privacy Forum and a leading attorney in privacy and data protection. Chris helped break the path for privacy law and the modern Internet. He has had a hand in advising and shaping thinking on many leading-edge tech issues including Internet free speech, Internet […]
Smart Communities: A Conversation with Kelsey Finch
One of FPF Policy Counsel Kelsey Finch’s areas of focus is Smart Communities, a field which draws from many of FPF’s issue areas. From her Seattle office, she has the opportunity to do hands-on work with cities in the Pacific Northwest. Last year, she worked with city officials on Seattle’s first Open Data Risk Assessment, […]
Limor Shmerling Magazanik Joins Israel Tech Policy Institute as Managing Director and Future of Privacy Forum as Senior Fellow
Washington, DC – November 20, 2018 – The Israel Tech Policy Institute and Future of Privacy Forum today announced Limor Shmerling Magazanik as ITPI Managing Director and FPF Senior Fellow. In this role, Magazanik will provide leadership on day-to-day operational matters of ITPI, including directing ITPI’s policy agenda; engaging policymakers, regulators, academics, and business leaders; convening multi stakeholder groups for discussion; and overseeing communications with the public and the advisory board.
If You Can't Take the Heat Map: Benefits & Risks of Releasing Location Datasets
Strava’s location data controversy demonstrates the unique challenges of publicly releasing location datasets (open data), even when the data is aggregated.