
Comprehensive Online Tracking is Not Unique to ISPs
Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee (Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law) held a hearing to explore the FCC’s proposed privacy rules regulating Broadband Internet Access Service providers (a subset of Internet Service Providers, or ISPs).

The Future of Privacy Forum and EY Examine Speech Recognition and Smart Devices in New Paper
Washington, DC – Today, the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), in collaboration with Ernst & Young LLP, released Always On: Privacy Implications of Microphone-Enabled Devices, a new paper that explores how speech recognition technology fits into a broader scheme of “always listening” technologies. The paper identifies emerging practices by which manufacturers and developers can alleviate privacy concerns and build consumer trust in the ways that data is collected, stored, and analyzed.

De-Identification: Practice and Policy, April 13 in San Francisco
The Future of Privacy Forum, EY, and Privacy Analytics are hosting an event to share and advance practices and policies around de-identification. This all day forum will include panel discussions on topics such as emerging policy questions, de-identification case studies, implementation and best practices, and the role of controls. We encourage audience participation and knowledge sharing. Wednesday, April 13, […]

In-Store Location Tracking: A Holiday Guide
In these final remaining days before Christmas, last-minute holiday shopping is in full swing. The window for online delivery is closing, and more shoppers this week will be doing their holiday shopping the old-fashioned way—in the store.

Panelists Debated Materiality and Privacy Harms under the FTC’s Section 5
On November 5, the Future of Privacy Forum and Washington & Lee University School of Law co-hosted a panel on the Future of Section 5 of the FTC Act. The Federal Trade Commission Act permits the agency to bring civil enforcement actions under Section 5 against companies who engage in “unfair or deceptive trade practices.” […]

Privacy Papers 2014
Each year, FPF invites privacy scholars and authors interested in privacy questions to submit articles and papers to be considered by members of our Advisory Board, with an aim toward showcasing those articles that should inform any conversation about privacy among policymakers in Congress, as well as at the Federal Trade Commission and in other […]

End of Safe Harbor? Understanding the CJEU’s Decision and Its Implications
Legal background In Europe, the processing of personal data is governed by Directive 95/46/EC (the “Directive”) which sets forth rules under which data may be lawfully processed1.The transfer of personal data to third countries is restricted to countries that ensure an adequate level of protection2.While the Directive itself does not provide a definition of the […]

FPF Founder Christopher Wolf wins Vanguard Award
The entire FPF team is thrilled to congratulate Chris Wolf, FPF founder and Co-chair and cherished mentor, on winning the IAPP Vanguard Award. The following remarks were delivered today at IAPP by Brenda Leong, FPF Senior Counsel and Director of Operations. Welcome everyone and thank you for joining us this morning. I am honored to […]

2015 National Student Privacy Symposium
FUTURE OF PRIVACY FORUM, DATA QUALITY CAMPAIGN TO HOST 2015 NATIONAL STUDENT PRIVACY SYMPOSIUM IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2015 Leading Education & Privacy Experts to Discuss, Explore the Benefits and Risks of Student Data and Technology in Schools WASHINGTON, D.C. – August 18, 2105 – As students, parents, teachers and school administrators gear […]

Framing the "Big Data Industry"
For all its hype, discussions about Big Data often still devolve into debates about buzzwords and concepts like business intelligence, data analytics, and machine learning. Hidden in each of these terms are important privacy and ethical considerations. A recent article by Kirsten Martin in MIS Quarterly Executive attempts to bring these considerations to the surface by moving past framing […]