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This week, Ann Cavoukian and Dan Castro waded into the de-identification debate with a new whitepaper, arguing that the risk of re-identification has been greatly exaggerated and that de-identification will play a central role in the age of big data. FPF has repeatedly called for the need for informed conversations about what practical de-identification requires, […]

On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal published an article about long lines at U.S. customs in airports around the country, and what airlines are doing to shorten them. They include a spreadsheet where you can see the kind information that’s been collected thanks to Mobile Location Analytics (“MLA”) technology. This is just one example of […]

Now that the New Year is upon us, California’s Do Not Track transparency bill AB 370 is officially in effect.  As websites start to disclose in their privacy policies how they respond to Do Not Track signals, it’s helpful to explain a little more about Do Not Track, as well as other options consumers can […]

Wednesday, in a speech at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, FTC Commissioner Julie Brill addressed an audience of engineers and computer scientists and solicited their skills to improve consumer privacy and enhance trust. Her specific concerns have tracked some of the biggest debates I have seen during my time at the Future of […]

During her confirmation hearing today, Terrell McSweeny briefly touched upon privacy issues.  With her children in the background, she noted that she is particularly cognizant of the need to protect children’s privacy.  Noting that her small children were already both “iPad and app proficient,” she recognized that mobile technology–and the ways that children are using this […]

Any discussion surrounding the benefits–and the risks–presented by Big Data often focuses on the far-off future.  The world of Minority Report is frequently invoked, but in the wake of April’s “Big Data Week,” it is time to recognize that Big Data is already here.  In their recent book, Big Data: A Revolution that Will Transform […]

Even as it promises breakthroughs in healthcare, the environment, and how individuals understand the world, Big Data may also be a powerful tool in the national security space. On Wednesday, the Journal of National Security Law & Policy, along with the Georgetown Center on National Security and the Law, launched their first symposium by addressing […]

Editorial By Christopher Wolf  A Critical Time for the EU Data Protection Regulation Policymakers around the world are re-examining the legal framework that regulates the collection, use, sharing, and storing of personal information – proposing more robust protections afforded to such information, and increasing the legal obligations of business. The new approaches are in response […]

Federal Trade Commission officials spent the day touting a newsettlement with Facebook, with FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz saying the company now will be “obligated” to keep its privacy promises. But in reality, the agreement is likely to have little, if any, actual impact on Facebook users

Federal Trade Commission officials spent the day touting a new settlement with Facebook, with FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz saying the company now will be “obligated” to keep its privacy promises. But in reality, the agreement is likely to have little, if any, actual impact on Facebook users.