http://privacycoalition.org/ en Copyright 2010 Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:20:29 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss health policy advocacy network; and broader use of RFID tagging on consumer products.]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2010/08/mary_ellen_callahan_discusses.php http://privacycoalition.org/2010/08/mary_ellen_callahan_discusses.php Meeting Calendar Speakers Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:20:29 -0500 Federal Trade Commission met with the Privacy Coalition for its regular monthly meeting. The Coalition also received a briefing by Jumana Musa, Policy Director for the Rights Working Group on the Department of Homeland Security Secure Communities Program. Jeff Greenspan, Campaign for Liberty provided a briefing on Arizona's SB 1070 law and its impact on federal access to state held databases. Odetta Wilkens, Executive Director of Equal Justice Alliance, on Animal Rights Activists and Enforcement of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act provisions, which allow prosecutions based on web page publishing of political views or reporting of protest events if any of the provision of the law are violated by protesters. ]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2010/07/ftc_chair_meets_with_privacy_c.php http://privacycoalition.org/2010/07/ftc_chair_meets_with_privacy_c.php Meeting Calendar Speakers Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:03:54 -0500 Alan Lane, Associate SSA, CIO, Office of Open Government briefed the privacy coalition on agency efforts to create an online benefit application process for those seeking benefits from the agency. Part of this new process would allow Experian the credit reporting agency to verify the identity of applicants register online for benefits. SSA signed a contract with Experian and the SSA new application process is not expected to be available until early next year. There are privacy issues with the accuracy of Experian's records, the use of phone numbers or addresses to authenticate applicants, as well as rampant identity theft fostered by the credit granting industry because of how they authenticate people when granting credit. Dr. Latanya Sweeney, a Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science, Technology and Policy in the School of Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and Director and Founder of the Data Privacy Lab also briefed the Coalition on the privacy harms and uses of the proposed National Health Information Network's (NHIN) plans for sharing patient information when it goes into broad use in January. The Privacy Coalition has sought a meeting with National Coordinator Blumenthal on the issue of the NHIN and privacy. Dr. Sweeney identified several vulnerabilities in the current plan and stated that the planning is not considering policy approaches to minimize the potential harms nor create a matrix of approaches to the problem to better evaluate, which and under what circumstances each would be possible. http://privacycoalition.org/2010/05/may_monthly_privacy_coalition.php http://privacycoalition.org/2010/05/may_monthly_privacy_coalition.php Meeting Calendar Fri, 28 May 2010 09:04:41 -0500 letter included the ACLU, American Library Association, Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Liberty Coalition, NAACP, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, Center for Media and Democracy, and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The White House has agreed to the meeting, which follows Senate confirmation of Keith B. Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, to lead the U.S Cyber Command. Civil society organizations have expressed concern about the growing role of the NSA in cyber security. EPIC is currently in litigation with the NSA to obtain the secret policy for NSA surveillance authority.]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2010/05/privacy_coalition_members_join.php http://privacycoalition.org/2010/05/privacy_coalition_members_join.php Campaigns Meeting Calendar Wed, 12 May 2010 08:55:37 -0500 complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, charging that Facebook has engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices in violation of consumer protection law. The complaint states that changes to user profile information and the disclosure of user data to third parties without consent "violate user expectations, diminish user privacy, and contradict Facebook's own representations."]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2010/05/fifteen_privacy_groups_fill_ft.php http://privacycoalition.org/2010/05/fifteen_privacy_groups_fill_ft.php Actions News Top Issues Sun, 09 May 2010 22:11:48 -0500 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. ]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2010/05/monthly_privacy_coalition_meet_1.php http://privacycoalition.org/2010/05/monthly_privacy_coalition_meet_1.php Events Meeting Calendar Sun, 09 May 2010 22:03:23 -0500 petition to the Department of Homeland Security to demand that the agency suspend the airport body scanner program. The petition states that the "uniquely intrusive search" is unreasonable and violates the Constitution. The petition further states the program fails to comply with several federal laws, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act , the Privacy Act of 1974, and the Administrative Procedures Act. The petitioners also argue that the machines are ineffective and that there are better, less costly security technology. The petitioners contend that the TSA has routinely misled the pubic about the ability of the devices to store and transmit detailed images of travelers' naked bodies. In a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, EPIC has already obtained technical documents, vendor contracts, and hundreds of traveler complaints. EPIC is seeking additional documents. For more information, see EPIC: Whole Body Imaging Technology and EPIC: EPIC v. Department of Homeland Security. ]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2010/04/coalition_petitions_homeland_s.php http://privacycoalition.org/2010/04/coalition_petitions_homeland_s.php News Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:07:38 -0500 Second Session of the 111th Congress. Mike Oldak, Utilities Telecom Council briefed the Privacy Coalition on Smart Grid from the Utility Perspective. Update on International Standards Development regarding identification readers by Edward Hasbrouck, and Chris Calabrese, with the ACLU briefed the group on the proposal for a biometric Social Security Card. ]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2010/04/monthly_privacy_coalition_meet.php http://privacycoalition.org/2010/04/monthly_privacy_coalition_meet.php News Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:39:36 -0500 Meeting participants. Meeting Agenda. ]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2010/02/2010_annual_privacy_coalition.php http://privacycoalition.org/2010/02/2010_annual_privacy_coalition.php Events Meeting Calendar Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:52:43 -0500 complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, urging the FTC to open an investigation into Facebook's revised privacy settings. The complaint, led by EPIC is signed by nine other privacy and consumer organizations, states that the "changes violate user expectations, diminish user privacy, and contradict Facebook's own representations." There has been widespread opposition from Facebook users, security experts, bloggers, and news organizations. ]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2009/12/privacy_coalition_members_defe.php http://privacycoalition.org/2009/12/privacy_coalition_members_defe.php Actions Campaigns News Top Issues Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:34:50 -0500 urged a federal agency to establish safeguards for Smart Grid systems that protect consumer electricity usage information from unauthorized collection, use, disclosure, or sale. Smart Grid networks, which uniquely identify individual devices and appliances, create new privacy risks and could reveal intimate details of home life. EPIC recommended that policies be established to safeguard consumer privacy, including limitations on data collection, enforceable privacy practices, new security standards, and independent oversight.]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2009/12/privacy_coalition_members_send.php http://privacycoalition.org/2009/12/privacy_coalition_members_send.php News Rulemaking Top Issues Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:36:50 -0500 Biometric Center at Carnegie Mellon University and a Research Assistant Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at CMU. He spoke about advances in biometric identification systems that go beyond the need to create databases of those enrolled for authentication purposes.]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2009/12/november_mary_ellen_callahan_m.php http://privacycoalition.org/2009/12/november_mary_ellen_callahan_m.php Meeting Calendar Speakers Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:21:46 -0500 Senate and House Education Committees, as well as the Secretary of Education regarding the Fordham Law School study, which found that state educational databases across the country ignore key privacy protections for the nation's school children. The study reports that at least 32% of states warehouse children's social security numbers; at least 22% of states record student pregnancies; and at least 46% of the states track mental health, illness, and jail sentences as part of the children's educational records. Some states outsource the data processing without any restrictions on use or confidentiality for children's information. Access to this information and the disclosure of personal data may occur for decades and follow children well into their adult lives. ]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2009/12/coalition_members_send_letter.php http://privacycoalition.org/2009/12/coalition_members_send_letter.php Campaigns News Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:11:44 -0500 Federal Trade Commission's Division of Privacy and Identification Protection who spoke about the agency's work to re-access the enforcement of consumer privacy protection. He also briefed the coalition on the series of round table discussions the agency plans for December 7, January 28, and March. The October meeting of the Privacy Coalition featured a briefing by Prof. Joel Reidenberg and Jamela Debelak on Children's Educational Records and Privacy. ]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2009/12/privacy_coalition_october_mont.php http://privacycoalition.org/2009/12/privacy_coalition_october_mont.php Meeting Calendar Speakers Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:57:38 -0500 House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson has responded to the Privacy Coalition Letter regarding the Chief Privacy Officer of the Department of Homeland Security. Chairman Thompson said that "the Committee is in the process of reviewing the programs outlined" in the letter, and thanked the Coalition for bringing the issues to the attention of the committee. He further stated that the Committee "will continue to examine the Department's programs and policies and vigorously address privacy concerns and issues." For more information, see ]]> http://privacycoalition.org/2009/11/congressional_committee_review.php http://privacycoalition.org/2009/11/congressional_committee_review.php Campaigns DHS News Top Issues Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:14:08 -0500