Across the United States, evolving data collection and processing practices and advances in artificial intelligence are driving new digital services, technologies, and socially beneficial research – while also raising new opportunities, risks, and questions for individuals and communities. In response, state and federal policymakers are considering new legislative and regulatory frameworks on three interconnected fronts: comprehensive consumer privacy laws that establish baseline rights and protections for personal data across the economy; frameworks that target specific sectors and practices such as automated decisionmaking, biometric identification, companion chatbots, data-driven pricing, data brokerage, frontier AI model safety, genetic data, and health data; and youth-specific privacy and online safety laws that set distinct rules for minors. These three tracks rarely stay in their lanes: a comprehensive privacy law may include AI provisions, an AI safety bill may carve out rules for minors, a youth online safety law may hinge on biometric age verification. Understanding the landscape requires understanding both the individual pieces and how they fit together.
FPF’s U.S. Legislation team provides expert, independent, pragmatic analysis of state and federal legislative and regulatory approaches to privacy, AI, and youth online safety – three distinct but increasingly intertwined issue areas. The team tracks emerging proposals, compares new laws against existing frameworks, analyzes implementation and compliance implications, and helps policymakers and stakeholders understand how legal requirements interact with current technologies, business practices, and data uses.
Through reports, blog posts, legislative and policy analyses, webinars, in-person and virtual peer-to-peer gatherings, and educational programs, FPF helps the broader technology policy and governance community understand the mechanisms and strategies available to protect privacy, promote responsible AI development and deployment, and advance youth online safety. FPF does not typically support or oppose particular bills. Instead, the U.S. Legislation team focuses on explaining the practical and legal implications of proposals – individually and as they interact with one another. This work helps ensure that privacy, AI, and youth safety compliance and policy strategies remain future-looking, adaptable, and workable for the continued, beneficial use of data and AI.
FPF’s U.S. Legislation team is led by Tatiana Rice, Senior Director.
FPF's Amelia Vance on the Future of Student Privacy
Amelia Vance, Policy Counsel and Director of the FPF Education Privacy Project, is one of the foremost experts in the nation on education privacy. She has a knack for making complex regulations and technical trends accessible to individuals who are not lawyers or computer scientists, but who care deeply about student privacy – school administrators, […]
FPF at 10: Envisioning the Future of Privacy
This year, Future of Privacy Forum is celebrating our tenth anniversary as a catalyst for privacy leadership and scholarship. In recognition of this milestone, we will host an anniversary celebration on April 30 and release a report on rising privacy issues. We also are publishing a series of blog posts over the next several weeks […]
School Safety Report Neglects Privacy Concerns
Yesterday, the Federal Commission on School Safety released a report detailing its conclusions, after holding a series of meetings and hearings in the wake of school shootings. Nearly every aspect of the Commission’s report focuses on sharing data and, thus, has privacy implications for students, teachers, and the public.
Amelia Vance's Letter to the Editor in the New York Times
FPF Education Director and Policy Counsel Amelia Vance wrote a letter in response to a New York Times story on student privacy laws published earlier this week. She argued that the best way to address concerns over student privacy is to enforce and fully fund the implementation of existing laws, not add even more laws […]
This Year's Must-Read Privacy Papers: The Future of Privacy Forum Announces Recipients of Annual Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 17, 2018 Contact: Jeremy Greenberg, Georgetown Policy Fellow, [email protected] Nat Wood, [email protected], 410-507-7898 This Year’s Must-Read Privacy Papers: The Future of Privacy Forum Announces Recipients of Annual Privacy Papers for Policymakers Award Washington, DC – Today, the Future of Privacy Forum announced the winners of the 9th Annual Privacy Papers for […]
Jules Polonetsky interviewed on C-SPAN's Washington Journal
FPF CEO Jules Polonetsky was interviewed on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal Friday. He discussed the need for federal privacy legislation, internet companies’ data collection practices and the Federal Trade Commission’s authority to stop deceptive practices, among other topics. Watch the appearance here.
New Guide Compares Privacy Laws in EU and California
Washington, DC – The Future of Privacy Forum and DataGuidance have released a new report, Comparing privacy laws: GDPR v. CCPA, which analyzes and contrasts the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). GDPR, which became effective in the EU on May 25, 2018, and the CCPA, scheduled to go into effect January 1, 2020, both aim to protect individuals’ personal data and apply to businesses that collect, use or share that data, online or off.
[Webinar] GDPR vs. CCPA: An in depth Comparative Analysis (Thurs, Dec 13, at 10:00 AM ET)
The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and DataGuidance have released a new Comparison Guide on the GDPR vs. CCPA, which provides an in-depth analysis on the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). The Guide highlights the degree of similarity of the GDPR and CCPA on the five key provisions, and a detailed analysis of the similarities and differences.
Privacy War Games Participants Stayed a Step Ahead of the Competition
Privacy leaders from 60 companies gathered at Cisco headquarters in San Jose, CA on November 12th for the inaugural Privacy War Games, a new training and preparedness program launched by FPF and The Providence Group. The war games split participants into five teams to practice strategic decision-making in a fast-paced environment that presented the […]
CCPA, face to face with the GDPR: An in depth comparative analysis
The General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) (‘GDPR’) and the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (‘CCPA’) both aim to guarantee strong protection for individuals regarding their personal data and apply to businesses that collect, use, or share consumer data, whether the information was obtained online or offline.