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.
FTC Provides Limited “Safe Harbor” for Users of a “Do Not Track for Kids” Flag
The new Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) rule that went into effect earlier this month restricts almost all forms of tracking across child-directed sites other than for a set of limited “internal operations purposes.” Child-directed sites are now strictly liable for any third party tracking on their sites that do not meet COPPA’s limited […]
FTC Privacy Veteran Molly Crawford Joins Future of Privacy Forum as Policy Director
Washington, DC, July 23, 2013 The Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), a Washington, DC-based think tank advancing responsible data use and consumer privacy, today announced that former Federal Trade Commission staffer Molly Crawford has joined FPF as its first Policy Director. In her new role, Ms. Crawford will be expanding and coordinating FPF’s focus on […]
Getting COPPA Right with a New Directed at Children Signal
One of the most important provisions of the updated Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) rule that took effect yesterday is the extension of child privacy protection to behavioral advertising, the practice of tracking users across online sites and services to tailor advertising. The Future of Privacy Forum supported the Federal Trade Commission’s move to […]
Do Not Track Hearing Takeaways
Organized by Sen. Rockefeller (D-W. Virginia), who has repeatedly pushed for a “Do Not Track” law, yesterday’s Senate Commerce Commerce Committee hearing on Do Not Track (DNT) was billed as an opportunity for industry to provide senators with an update on how voluntary DNT standards were proceeding. Joined by Senators Blumenthal, Heller, McCaskill, and Thune, […]
Domestic Drones Should Embrace Privacy by Design
Ironically, the vocal public concern about drones actually combats one of the biggest challenges to implementing …
Key Elements of a Code of Conduct for Mobile Apps Transparency
Guest blog post from Mary J. Culnan, Senior Fellow at the Future of Privacy Forum In February 2012, the White House issued a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. In the report, the White House proposed legislation based on the privacy principles in the report and called on NTIA to convene stakeholders to develop enforceable codes of […]
FCC Ruling Allows “One-Time Opt-Out Confirmation Messages” to Continue
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a declaratory ruling confirming “that sending a one-time text message confirming a consumer’s request that no further messages be sent does not violate the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) or Commission rules.” The FCC ruling comes in response to a petition filed earlier this year by SoundBite […]
FPF Senior Fellow Peter Swire Quoted in NYT Front Page Story on ECPA
FPF Senior Fellow and the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law Professor Peter Swire was quoted today in a New York Times front page story highlighting challenges to applying the 1986 Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) to mobile technologies. Here is a passage: As technology races ahead of the law, courts and lawmakers are […]
FPF to co-host App Developers Privacy Summit series in D.C. on Nov. 29th
We’re hosting an event with the Application Developers Alliance in D.C. on Thursday, November 29th and we would love to see you there! It’s free to register, but space is limited. Here are the details – please feel free to share this information with anyone who might be interested: Free Happy Hour + Application Developer […]
Proposed Framework for a Policy Protecting Customer Information Privacy in Michigan
The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) recently requested information and comments related to its proposed framework for a policy protecting customer information privacy. The Commission’s current rules, 1999 AC, R 460.101 et seq., Consumer Standards and Billing Practices for Residential Customers provide some limited protection of customer privacy with respect to billing information. The new […]