Change Could be Soon Coming to the FTC, the Lead U.S. Agency on Privacy
The U.S. Presidential election is almost upon us, and it could have a big impact on the future of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the de facto national privacy regulator and law enforcer. The FTC lineup has been steady since 2018 but that could soon change – no matter who wins the election. Prior to […]
The European Commission Considers Amending the General Data Protection Regulation to Make Digital Age of Consent Consistent
The European Commission published a Communication on its mandated two-year evaluation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on June 24, 2020 in which it discusses as a future policy development “the possible harmonisation of the age of children consent in relation to information society services.” Notably, harmonizing the age of consent for children across […]
Off to the Races for Enforcement of California’s Privacy Law
Yesterday, the California Attorney General’s office confirmed that it has begun sending a “swath” of enforcement notices to companies across sectors who are allegedly violating the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), swiftly beginning enforcement right on the July 1st enforcement date. The law came into effect in January, after years of debate and amendment in […]
California Privacy Legislation: A Timeline of Key Events
Authors: Katelyn Ringrose (Christopher Wolf Diversity Law Fellow) and Jeremy Greenberg (Policy Counsel) ——- Today, the California Attorney General will begin enforcing the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The California AG’s office may bring enforcement actions and seek penalties for violations of core provisions of the CCPA. The AG’s request for expedited review of regulations […]
Supreme Court Rules that LGBTQ Employees Deserve Workplace Protections–More Progress is Needed to Combat Unfairness and Disparity
Authors: Katelyn Ringrose (Christopher Wolf Diversity Law Fellow) and Dr. Sara Jordan (Policy Counsel, Artificial Intelligence and Ethics) Today’s Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County—clarifying that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bans employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity—is a major victory in the fight for LGBTQ […]
Endgame Issues: New Brookings Report on Paths to Federal Privacy Legislation
Authors: Stacey Gray, Senior Counsel (US Legislation and Policymaker Education), Polly Sanderson, Policy Counsel This afternoon, The Brookings Institution released a new report, Bridging the gaps: A path forward to federal privacy legislation, a comprehensive analysis of the most challenging obstacles to Congress passing a comprehensive federal privacy law. The report includes a detailed range […]
Bipartisan Privacy Bill Would Govern Exposure Notification Services
Authors: Stacey Gray, Senior Counsel; Katelyn Ringrose, Christopher Wolf Diversity Law Fellow; and Polly Sanderson, Policy Counsel Yesterday, Senators Cantwell (D-WA), Cassidy (R-LA), and Klobuchar (D-MN) introduced a new COVID-19 data protection bill, the Exposure Notification Privacy Act, which would create legal limits for “automated exposure notification services.” The bill comes on the heels of […]
Newly Released COVID-19 Privacy Bills Would Regulate Pandemic-Related Data
By Pollyanna Sanderson (Policy Counsel), Stacey Gray (Senior Policy Counsel) & Katelyn Ringrose (Christopher Wolf Diversity Law Fellow) Yesterday afternoon, leading House and Senate Democrats introduced the Public Health Emergency Privacy Act. The Democratic-led bill, which was introduced by Senators Blumenthal and Warner, as well as Representatives Eshoo, Schakowsky and DelBene, follows the May 10th […]
FPF Provides Senate Testimony on Strategies to Mitigate Privacy Risks of Using Data to Combat COVID-19
Future of Privacy Forum (FPF) Senior Counsel Stacey Gray today provided the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation with written testimony, including recommendations based on how experts in the U.S. and around the world are currently mitigating the risks of using data to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. “The collection and use of data, including personal […]
Close to the Finish Line: Observations on the Washington Privacy Act
By: Stacey Gray and Gabriela Zanfir-Fortuna * We wrote last week that Washington State seems poised to become the second US state to pass a major comprehensive privacy bill. The proposed Washington Privacy Act (WPA) would be mostly aligned with the EU’s GDPR, the global gold standard for data protection (although there are still some […]