Increased Surveillance is Not an Effective Response to Mass Violence
By Sara Collins and Anisha Reddy This week, Senator Cornyn introduced the RESPONSE Act, an omnibus bill meant to reduce violent crimes, with a particular focus on mass shootings. The bill has several components, including provisions that would have significant implications for how sensitive student data is collected, used, and shared. The most troubling part […]
FPF Receives Grant To Design Ethical Review Process for Research Access to Corporate Data
Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) has received a grant to create an independent party of experts for an ethical review process that can provide trusted vetting of corporate-academic research projects. FPF will establish a pool of respected reviewers to operate as a standalone, on-demand review board to evaluate research uses of personal data and create a set of transparent policies and processes to be applied to such reviews.
COPPA Workshop Takeaways
On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a public workshop focused on potential updates to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) rule. The workshop follows a July 25, 2019 notice of rule review and call for public comments regarding COPPA rule reform. The comment period remains open until December 9th. Senior FTC officials […]
CCPA 2.0? A New California Ballot Initiative is Introduced
Introduction On September 13, 2019, the California State Legislature passed the final CCPA amendments of 2019. Governor Newsom is expected to sign the recently passed CCPA amendments into law in advance of his October 13, 2019 deadline. Yesterday, proponents of the original CCPA ballot initiative released the text of a new initiative (The California Privacy […]
The Right to Be Forgotten: Future of Privacy Forum Statement on Decisions by European Court of Justice
WASHINGTON, DC – September 24, 2019 – Statement by Future of Privacy Forum CEO Jules Polonetsky regarding two European Court of Justice decisions announced today in its cases with Google: Key decisions about the balance of privacy and free expression still remain to be settled by the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Although the ECJ’s […]
FTC should investigate app developers banned by Facebook – Statement by Future of Privacy Forum CEO
Future of Privacy Forum Calls on FTC to Investigate Apps That Misused Consumer Data WASHINGTON, DC – September 20, 2019 – Statement by Future of Privacy Forum CEO Jules Polonetsky regarding Facebook’s announcement that it has banned 400 developers from its app store: The FTC should quickly act against many of these app developers, since […]
3rd Annual Brussels Privacy Symposium
The 2019 Brussels Privacy Symposium is the third annual academic program jointly presented by the Brussels Privacy Hub of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) and is a global convening of practical, applicable, substantive privacy research and scholarship. The Symposium will draw on the expertise of leading EU and […]
What is 5G Cell Technology? How Will It Affect Me?
The leap from 3G to 4G technology brought with it faster data transfer speeds, which supported widespread adoption of data cloud and streaming services, video conferencing, and Internet of Things devices such as digital home assistants and smartwatches. 5G technology has the potential to enable another wave of smart devices: always connected and always communicating to provide faster, more personalized services.
How the FTC Became a "Super CNIL"
By Winston Maxwell European data protection authorities are quick to remind citizens and companies that the U.S. lacks adequate protection of personal data. Many Europeans therefore assume that the U.S. is a privacy no-man’s-land. Yet on July 24, 2019 the FTC levied a privacy fine against Facebook that is far above GDPR levels, and imposed […]
Digital Deep Fakes
The media has recently labeled manipulated videos of people “deepfakes,” a portmanteau of “deep learning” and “fake,” on the assumption that AI-based software is behind them all. But the technology behind video manipulation is not all based on deep learning (or any form of AI), and what are lumped together as deepfakes actually differ depending on the particular technology used. So while the example videos above were all doctored in some way, they were not all altered using the same technological tools, and the risks they pose – particularly as to being identifiable as fake – may vary.