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We are pleased to announce the launch of our Privacy Book Club! The FPF Privacy Book Club will provide members the opportunity to read a wide range of books — privacy, data, ethics, academic works, and other important data relevant issues — and have an open discussion of the selected literature.

The Future of Privacy Forum & The Providence Group invite you to participate in the inaugural Privacy War Games event on November 12th, from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, in San Jose, California. The event will take place at Cisco’s Headquarters, located at 255 West Tasman Drive, Building J, San Jose, CA 95134.

In light of recent debates over Facebook’s role in protecting users’ privacy against third-party app developers, many are recognizing the importance of mobile platforms in safeguarding user data. Apple emphasized privacy in its Worldwide Developers Conference (June 4-8, 2018), highlighting several privacy-related updates to the upcoming macOS and iOS 12. Google also made privacy a focus of their newest mobile operating system, Android P, with several key software updates that will restrict app developers’ access to data.

This morning, Facebook announced that they will begin rolling out new requirements for its “Custom Audiences” targeting tool for advertisers. These updates are a useful step towards creating better user understanding of data flows both on Facebook and in the broader web, and enhancing the accountability of advertisers who use custom marketing lists.

Fordham University’s Center on Law and Information Policy (CLIP) just released the study, “Transparency and the Marketplace for Student Data,” which examines the practices of data brokers who buy and sell information about students. In the study, the authors describe existing privacy laws, map the commercial marketplace, and describe the challenges of understanding how data about students is collected and used.

Ed Tech vendors that use student data to provide services in schools must navigate a complicated legal landscape, including intertwining state and federal laws, all of which are designed to protect student privacy.

Last week, the Future of Privacy Forum filed written comments in response to the California Public Utilities Commission’s proposed decision authorizing pilot programs for passenger service in Autonomous Vehicles. The CPUC is a consumer protection agency that oversees, among other topics, provision of passenger service in the state. The proposed decision called for a number of criteria to be met by companies seeking to operate AV passenger service, including reporting of communications between passengers and remote operators of driverless AVs, as well as aggregated operations data.

We are pleased to see Facebook’s response, but are looking forward to understanding how to best address the broader issues for all stakeholders.  These issues are important to discuss – they are not going away.

The Future of Privacy Forum tracks student privacy news very closely, and shares relevant news stories with our newsletter subscribers. Approximately every month, we post “The Top 10,” a blog with our top student privacy stories.

CES 2018 brought to light many exciting advancements in consumer technologies. Without a doubt, Smart TVs, Smart Homes, and voice assistants were dominant: LG has a TV that rolls up like a poster; Philips introduced a Google Assistant-enabled TV is designed for the kitchen; and Samsung revealed its new line of refrigerators, TVs, and other home devices powered by Bixby, their intelligent voice assistant.