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The Public Voice Conference
24 September 2013
Warsaw, Poland
The House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on employment verification. Several hearings have be held by the committee on the proposal to create a mandatory national government employment eligibility system. The current private sector system is voluntary.
December 2011 Privacy Coalition Meeting
Guest speakers included Gail Hillebrand, Associate Director of Consumer Education and Engagement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau met with the Coalition. She was joined by Brett Kitt, Senior Counsel and Claire Stapleton, Chief Privacy Officer with the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. the agency is providing financial education to consumers and opportunities to register mortgage and credit card company complaints. The Consumer Financial Protection Agency also allow consumers to tell their stories regarding experiences with financial products. Kathleen Styles, Chief Privacy Officer for the U.S. Department of Education, updated the Coalition on topics discussed in May including new FERPA regulations, increasing privacy assistance to the education community, and student data release policy. Julian Sanchez, Research Fellow, with CATO, briefed the Coalition on the House Judiciary Committee Mark-up of the Managers Amendment to the Stop Online Piracy Act. Gilad Rosner, PhD Candidate, School of Computer Science University of Nottingham, will be discussing the Public Policy of Unlinkability just at the beginning of his work on a comparative study of the US and Germany.
FISA Reform Bill Introduced in the House
Representatives Conyers, Nadler, and Scott introduced two bills today that would amend the PATRIOT Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Patriot Amendments Act of 2009 will enhance reporting and judicial oversight of law enforcement powers, including the National Security Letter process. The FISA Amendments Act of 2009 will place new limits on the government's ability to collect and store Americans' communications without a warrant and repeals retroactive immunity.
Monthly Privacy Coalition Meeting Hosts Julie Brill New FTC Commissioner
Julie Brill one of the two new members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) meet with the Privacy Coalition. She wanted to hear from members about their concerns regarding the work of the FTC and their expectations for the agency moving forward. The meeting also featured discussions regarding Congressman Markey's new bill the e-KNOW Act to allow electricity customers to have access to Smart Meter data.
Coalition Members Promote Consumer Privacy Protection
Fifteen Privacy Coalition members representing millions of consumers and Internet users, sent a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee urging Congress to do more to protect consumer information. "Consumers today face an unfair choice: either stay offline and ignore the benefits of new technology, or plug in and run extraordinary risks to privacy and security," they wrote. "It shouldn't be this way. Consumers are more concerned about the privacy threat from big business than from big government," the letter continues. The coalition, which includes the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Consumer Watchdog, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Electronic Privacy Information Center, National Consumers League, Privacy Activism, Patient Privacy Rights Foundation, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Privacy Times, U.S. PIRG, and World Privacy Forum, argues that current privacy laws are inadequate, and that industry self-regulation has failed, as evidenced by millions of records compromised in data breaches.
May 2013 Monthly Meeting
Edith Ramirez, Chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission, briefed the Coalition on the Commission's priorities during her term. Chairwoman Ramirez was joined by her senior legal advisor Janis Kestenbaum and the Commission's Chief Technologist, Steve Bellovin. The Commission is currently conducting an investigation into the data broker industry. The Commission is also accepting comments regarding the privacy and security implications of the Internet of Things, and will hold a public workshop on November 21.
View past meeting information...
Julie Brill one of the two new members of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) meet with the Privacy Coalition. She wanted to hear from members about their concerns regarding the work of the FTC and their expectations for the agency moving forward. The meeting also featured discussions regarding Congressman Markey's new bill the e-KNOW Act to allow electricity customers to have access to Smart Meter data.
The annual meeting of the Privacy Coalition held in Washington DC on January 21-23, 2010 hosted discussions among activists, policy makers, government decision makers, and federal chief privacy officials. Congressman Bennie G. Thompson served as the Keynote speaker at the dinner held on Thursday evening. At the event Beth Givens, founder and director of Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, was presented with the EPIC's U.S. Privacy Champion Award for 2010. Meeting participants. Meeting Agenda.
EPIC released its Privacy Report Card for the Obama Administration at a morning briefing held at the National Press Club. EPIC scored the Administration with an "Incomplete" for Consumer Privacy, A- for Medical Privacy, C+ for Civil Liberties, and a B for Cyber Security. A panel made up of Privacy Coalition member organizations representing privacy, civil liberty, consumer rights experts gave their reaction to the grades. The organizations participating in the program includedUS PIRG, Consumer Federation of America, the Liberty Coalition/Association of American Physicians and, Surgeons, and the Bill of Rights Defense Committee. In December 2008, the Privacy Coalition urged the new Administration to address growing public concerns about privacy protection.
The Privacy Coalition is releasing the Obama Administration's Privacy Scorecard on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at the National Press Club, 8:30-10:00 am. A team of privacy experts will score the Administration's performance on a range of privacy issues, including Consumer Privacy, Medical Privacy, Civil Liberties, and Cyber Security. The public is invited to grade the Administration's privacy work. To confirm attendance at the event rsvp@epic.org.
The Computers Freedom and Privacy Annual meeting will be held in Washington, DC June 1-4, 2009. This year's meeting is co-chaired by Cindy Southworth with the National Network to End Domestic Violence, and Jay Stanley with the ACLU. This year's theme is Creating the Future.
The Public Voice is marking the January 28 anniversary of the Council of Europe Convention on Data Protection (No. 108), the most important international law for privacy. More than 40 countries have ratified the Convention. Many more countries around the world should support the Convention (including the United States). A Privacy advocacy call to Action.
International Human Rights Day - Privacy is a Fundamental Right. December 10, International Human Rights Day, commemorates the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human Rights Day 2008 marks the start of a year-long commemoration of the 61st anniversary of the Declaration. The document is the foundation of international human rights law, the first universal statement on the basic principles of inalienable human rights, and a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations. Article 12 of the Declaration includes privacy as a fundamental human right.
January 24-26, 2008 marked the 14th Annual Meeting of the Privacy Coalition. The meeting took place in Washington, DC and featured participation by privacy, consumer rights, civil liberties, and civil rights organizations.
The Privacy Office of the Department of Homeland Security will host a series of panel discussions December 17-18, 2007, on the topic of CCTV privacy best practices. The workshop is intended as an opportunity to begin discussions on the topic of privacy and the use of CCTV surveillance. Interested parties are encouraged to submit comments to the agency on the topic of CCTV surveillance and privacy best practices. The agency has provided significant funding to local governments for the expressed purpose of deploying CCTV surveillance technology. All submissions received must include the docket number: DHS-2007-0076. Written comments may be submitted by any one of the following methods: E-mail: privacyworkshop@dhs.gov. Include ``CCTV Workshop Comment'' in the subject line of the message. Facsimile: 703-235-0442. Mail: Toby Milgrom Levin, Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528.
Peter Schaar, Chairman of the Article 29 Working Party meet with the Privacy Coalition on Friday, October 19, 2007 from Noon-2:00 PM at EPIC's offices located at 1718 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC. In addition to chairing the Article 29 Working Group, Mr. Schaar is also the Federal Data Protection Commissioner and the Federal Commissioner for Freedom of Information for Germany. He is leading expert on European privacy law and a frequent keynote speaker at international conferences.
On November 1 and 2, 2007, the Federal Trade Commission will host a Town Hall entitled “Ehavioral Advertising: Tracking, Targeting, and Technology.” The event will bring together consumer advocates, industry representatives, technology experts, and academics to address consumer protection issues raised by the practice of tracking consumers’ activities online to target advertising - or “behavioral advertising.” The Town Hall is a follow-on to a dialogue on behavioral advertising that emerged at a November 2006 FTC forum, “Tech-Ade,” which examined the key technological and business developments that will shape consumers’ core experiences in the coming ten years. In addition, several consumer privacy advocates, as well as the State of New York, recently sent letters to the FTC asking it to examine the effects of behavioral advertising on consumer privacy.
On June 7, 2007, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security will hold a hearing on the Employment Verification System. The system is being proposed as a requirement for employers to screen potential employees during the hiring process. The Subcommittee will hear from privacy, legal, labor, and technology experts. If enacted it would create for the first time a federal government role in making routine employment determinations work performed within the United States. The Subcommittee is soliciting comments on the hearing topic.
Policy Forum Featuring Bruce Fein, Chairman, American Freedom Agenda; Andrew C. McCarthy, Director, Center for Law & Counterterrorism Foundation for Defense of Democracies; and Moderated by Timothy Lynch, Director, Project on Criminal Justice, Cato Institute. Forum will take place at The Cato Institute 1000 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 on Thursday May 24 from 12pm. Watch the Event Live in RealVideo
The morning session of the meeting will consider REAL ID rulemaking. The regulations for the REAL ID where recently made public by the Department of Homeland Security. The meeting will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Washington National Airport, located at 1480 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22202. Attendees should RSVP to PrivacyCommittee@dhs.gov or 571-227-3813. The meeting will be closed to the public from 12:30 p.m. until 1:30 p.m. for administrative purposes. Attendees should arrive by 8:45 a.m. or 1:15 p.m. for the public sessions.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) will meet Thursday, December 7, 2006, from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., and Friday, December 8, 2006, from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. All sessions will be open to the public. The meeting will take place at the George Washington University Cafritz Conference Center, located at 800 21st Street, NW., Room 101 & 308, Washington, DC.The Advisory Board was established by the Computer Security Act of 1987 (Pub. L. 100-235) and amended by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-347) to advise the Secretary of Commerce and the Director of NIST on security and privacy issues pertaining to federal computer systems. Details regarding the Board's activities are available at http://csrc.nist.gov/ispab/. Federal Registar Notice
The Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee (``Privacy Advisory Committee'') will be meeting on Wednesday, December 6, 2006, in the Key Biscayne A room of the Eden Roc Hotel, 4525 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida 33140. The meeting will be held from 8 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. During the meeting, the DHS Chief Privacy Officer will provide an update on the activities of the DHS Privacy Office. The Subcommittees will update the Committee on the work currently being conducted. In the morning and afternoon sessions, invited speakers will discuss data integrity and credentialing programs. A tentative agenda has been posted on the Privacy Advisory Committee Web site at http://www.dhs.gov/privacy
The American Bar Association Section of International Law and the Association Internationale Des Jeunes Avocats are sponsoring a conference on May 5-6 in Washington, DC to discuss international data protection and security. The group sponsoring the event invite those interested in attending to register the early bird deadline is April 4, 2006.
For more information, see: http://www.aija.org/modules/motionmill/index.php?iid=1
Continue reading "Washington DC Conference on International Data Protection and Security" »
The American Bar Association Section of International Law and the Association Internationale Des Jeunes Avocats are sponsoring a conference on May 5-6 in Washington, DC to discuss international data protection and security. The group sponsoring the event invite those interested in attending to register the early bird deadline is April 4, 2006.
For more information, see: http://www.aija.org/modules/motionmill/index.php?iid=1
Continue reading "Washington DC Conference on International Data Protection and Security" »
The hearing on "NSA III: War Time Executive Power and the FISA Court" scheduled by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for Tuesday, March 28, 2006 will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will take place in Dirksen Building Room 226.
Continue reading "US Senate Judiciary Schedules Hearing on NSA Surveillance" »
The hearing on "NSA III: War Time Executive Power and the FISA Court" scheduled by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for Tuesday, March 28, 2006 will begin at 9:00 a.m. and will take place in Dirksen Building Room 226.
Continue reading "US Senate Judiciary Schedules Hearing on NSA Surveillance" »
The Department of Homeland Security's Privacy Office will host a public workshop, on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on "Transparency and Accountability: The Use of Personal Information within the Government." The workshop is intended to explore the concept of public notices and freedom of information frameworks.
The Workshop will be held in the Horizon Ballroom at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300
Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC, 20004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen Kavanaugh, (571) 227-3813, by facsimile (571) 227-4171, or by e-mail
privacyworkshop@dhs.gov.
Continue reading "DHS Public Workshop: Transparency and Accountability" »
The Department of Homeland Security's Privacy Office will host a public workshop, on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on "Transparency and Accountability: The Use of Personal Information within the Government." The workshop is intended to explore the concept of public notices and freedom of information frameworks.
The Workshop will be held in the Horizon Ballroom at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, 1300
Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC, 20004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathleen Kavanaugh, (571) 227-3813, by facsimile (571) 227-4171, or by e-mail
privacyworkshop@dhs.gov.
Continue reading "DHS Public Workshop: Transparency and Accountability" »
The National Immigration Law Center has prepared a strategy meeting for state and national groups to come together to discuss next steps on a National Driver's License Strategy.
Continue reading "National Immigration Law Center -- ID Card Strategy Meeting" »
The National Immigration Law Center has prepared a strategy meeting for state and national groups to come together to discuss next steps on a National Driver's License Strategy.
Continue reading "National Immigration Law Center -- ID Card Strategy Meeting" »
On June 6, 2005, representatives of many organizations that raised concerns about REAL ID and related proposals met in Washington, DC to discuss next steps. Bruce Schneier, the author of "Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly about Security in an Uncertain World," gave a presentation on the challenges that implementation of REAL ID presents.
Topics included:
* The technology of identification
* Lessons of RFID passports
* An organized response to REAL ID
On June 6, 2005, representatives of many organizations that raised concerns about REAL ID and related proposals met in Washington, DC to discuss next steps. Bruce Schneier, the author of "Beyond Fear: Thinking Sensibly about Security in an Uncertain World," gave a presentation on the challenges that implementation of REAL ID presents.
Topics included:
* The technology of identification
* Lessons of RFID passports
* An organized response to REAL ID