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.
Useful Commentary from Smart Grid Security Blog
Check out this useful privacy commentary from the folks at the Smart Grid Security Blog, “An Informed Public and an Informed Grid.”
Power vs. Privacy: Smart Grid Could Turn Appliances Into Spies, Experts Say
Power vs. Privacy: Smart Grid Could Turn Appliances Into Spies, Experts Say CBC News Canada By Paul Gallant February 18, 2010 Do you want your fridge talking about you behind your back? With the rapid adoption of a North American “smart grid” aimed at helping consumers conserve electricity, it’s also possible that smart appliances will […]
Smart Privacy For the Grid
Gridwise Alliance & Future of Privacy Forum Present “Smart Privacy For the Grid” Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Embassy of Canada Theatre Room 501 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 Click here to register for the event. (link expired) Featured Speakers: Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Information & Privacy Commissioner of Ontario Andrew McLaughlin, United States Deputy, CTO […]
Smart Grid Consumer Privacy Seal Launch Press Release
The Future of Privacy Forum and TRUSTe Launch a Smart Grid Privacy Seal Program Leaders in Government and Industry Voice Their Support The Future of Privacy Forum has developed a first of its kind privacy seal program for companies that use consumer energy information. The seal will be powered by TRUSTe, the leading data privacy […]
ISPAB to Address Smart Grid Issues
The Commerce Department/NIST Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) is holding its December meeting tomorrow in Washington, DC. On the agenda is a discussion about privacy, security and the smart grid, led by FPF Co-Chair Jules Polonetsky, Dave Dalva, Senior Security Strategist at Cisco, and Lynn McNulty, Director of Government Affairs at (ISC)2. ISPAB […]
PrivacyProf on the SmartGrid
Some of the leading privacy analysis related to the smart grid has been carried out by Rebecca Herrold, a.k.a @PrivacyProf to her Twitter followers. Her most recent post, an effort to begin to map privacy standards to potential grid privacy concerns, does not disappoint. We are looking forward to having her on our smart grid […]
NARUC Defers Smart Grid Resolution
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners was scheduled to vote on a smart grid privacy resolution at their November meeting in Chicago last week. However, it appears that the regulators did not adopt the proposed resolution. Our sources tell us that it was deferred, hopefully to be taken up at the February NARUC meeting. […]
Experts: Smart Grid Poses Privacy Risks
Experts: Smart Grid Poses Privacy Risks Washington Post – Security Fix Blog By Brian Krebs Wednesday, November 18, 2009 Technologists already are worried about the security implications of linking nearly all elements of the U.S. power grid to the public Internet. Now, privacy experts are warning that the so-called “smart grid” efforts could usher in […]
You Say It's Your Birthday
One year ago today, FPF opened its doors and promised to work to advance responsible data practices. Our goal was to work with progressive companies, advocates, academics and government leaders to find common ground on solutions that ensured that uses of consumer information provided users with transparency and control. While FPF has grown in terms […]
SmartPrivacy for the Smart Grid: Embedding Privacy in the Design of Electricity Conservation
The Future of Privacy Forum, with Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian, released a white paper today entitled, “SmartPrivacy for the Smart Grid: Embedding Privacy in the Design of Electricity Conservation.” Click on the link below to view the paper. smartprivacy-for-the-smart-grid