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Congressional Hearing on Employment Verification
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.
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Privacy Coalition Members Send Comments to NIST on Smart Grid Systems
Members of the Privacy Coalition 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.
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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.
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2010 Annual Privacy Coalition Meeting
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.
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Privacy Coalition Members Defend Privacy of Facebook Users
Ten Privacy and consumer organizations filed a 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.
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2010 Annual Privacy Coalition Meeting
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.
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Speakers Archives
November Mary Ellen Callahan Meets with Privacy Coalition Members
Mary Ellen Callahan, DHS CPO meets with the Privacy Coalition for the November 2009 meeting. This was the first meeting between the Privacy Coalition and the Obama Administration's Department of Homeland Security's Chief Privacy Officer. The hour long discussion covered a range of topics and ended with an invitation to Coalition members to participate in quarterly meetings hosted by the DHS CPO's office. Also speaking at the meeting was Dr. Marios Savvides, founder and Director of CyLab's 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.
Privacy Coalition October Monthly Meeting
The October meeting of the Privacy Coalition featured presentations from Christopher Olsen, with the 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.
Nancy Libin, DOJ's CPCLO Meets with Privacy Coalition
Ms. Libin, serves as the Department of Justice (DOJ) Chief Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer, (CPCLO) as well as the Department's senior policy adviser on privacy and civil liberties issues related to counterterrorism. Ms. Libin also advises the Attorney General on issues of privacy policy related to the Department's compliance with privacy laws and regulations. The CPCLO periodically reviews and investigates the Department's activities to ensure the DOJ is adequately considering privacy and civil liberties. In carrying out these responsibilities the CPCLO works, collaboratively with Department components and Bureaus such as the Office of Legislative Affairs and the Office of Legal Policy the Criminal Division National Security Division, and the FBI. Ms. Libin spoke to the Privacy Coalition at its monthly meeting in July.
Wade Henderson Executive Director for the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Leads Discussion on REAL ID
Wade Henderson, Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights led a discussion on REAL ID at the 13th Annual meeting of the Privacy Coalition. This has been a major issue for the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties community during 2006 and will continue to be a top priority for 2007.
Dale Oak, Professional Staff Member for the House Committee on Appropriations Meets with the Privacy Coalition
Dale Oak, Professional Staff Member, with the House Committee on Appropriations briefed the Privacy Coalition at the February 2007 meeting on the work of the committee and privacy.
Ruchi Bhowmik with Senator Obama's Staff Briefed the Privacy Coalition on new Deceptive Campaign Practices Legislation
Ruchi Bhowmik, Professional Staff person, with Senator Obama's office met with the Privacy Coalition at the March 2007 monthly meeting to brief the group on a new bill to address deceptive campaign practices.
Juliet K. Choi, American Red Cross Acting Director for Preparedness & Response Meets with Privacy Coalition
Juliet K. Choi, with the American Red Cross, met with the Privacy Coalition at the May 2007 monthly meeting to discuss the issue of disaster relief and privacy protection for victims. Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita the non-profit volunteer agency has worked with local chapters to develop guidelines on assistance to victims and data collection, share, and use.
Cindy Rosenwald, New Hampshire State Reprentative Meets with Privacy Coalition on Prescription Drug Privacy Law
Cindy Rosenwald, New Hampshire State Representative, who sponsored a law to protect Prescription Drug Privacy briefed the Privacy Coalition during its November 2008 meeting on her success in getting the law passed. The law is under legal challenge, and represents a good model for protecting prescription medical records from commercial use.
Karen Johnson, State Senator AZ Meets with Privacy Coalition to Discuss Bill to Regulate School Use of Biometics
Arizona State Senator Karen Johnson met with the Privacy Coalition for the May 2008 meeting to discuss her efforts to replicate legislation passed in the state of Illinois that regulates the use of digital fingerprint collect from school age children. The bill should it become law would represent the second successful effort to regulate the collection and use of biometrics in public schools.
Jonathan R. Cantor, Executive Director for Public Disclosure for the SSA Meets with
Jonathan Cantor, CIPP/G Executive Director for Public Disclosure for the Social Security Administration met with the Privacy Coalition at the May 2008 monthly meeting of the group to discuss his agency's work and privacy protection.
William Kovacic FTC Chair Meets with the Privacy Coalition
William Kovacic the new Chair of the Federal Trade Commission met with the Privacy Coalition at is June 2008 monthly meeting. The Federal Trade Commission is charged by law to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive trade practices.
Grisella Martinez with the National Immigration Law Center Briefs Coalition on E-Verify Comment Opportunity
Grisella Martinez with the National Immigration Law Center met with the Privacy Coalition during its July 2008 monthly meeting to provide a briefing on the E-Verify Comment request from the Department of Homeland Security. The meeting also had an update on E-Verify from Tim Sparapani with the ACLU.
Rob Randhava with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Meets with the Privacy Coalition
Rob Randhava briefed the Privacy Coalition during the July 2008 meeting on the work of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) on opposing REAL ID. The LCCR worked closely with privacy, civil liberty, consumer rights organizations to oppose the adoption of REAL ID regulations that would create the nation's first national ID.
Byron Charlton Government Relations Representative with the AFL-CIO Meets with the Privacy Coalition
Bryon Charlton with the AFL-CIO's Government Relations office briefed the Privacy Coalition on Card Chek and the Right of a Secret Ballot. Labor union organizing depends on workers having access to the option to form a union. He reported that labor organizers and workers who support unionization have faced dismissal or disciplinary actions by employers opposed to union shops.
David Vladeck Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection Meets with the Privacy Coalition
David Vladeck, Director of the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protect met with the Privacy Coalition for it June 2009 meeting. The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection's mandate is to protect consumers against unfair, deceptive or fraudulent practices. The Bureau enforces a variety of consumer protection laws enacted by Congress, as well as trade regulation rules issued by the FTC. The meeting also included a briefing by Professional Staff with the Homeland Security Committee on the recently introduced PASS ID bill.
Staff for Senator Barack Obama Spoke with the Privacy Coalition on the Protecting Taxpayer Privacy Act
Ian Solomon, Legislative Counsel, and Joshua DuBois, Legislative Correspondent, on March31, 2006, briefed the Privacy Coalition on Senator Barack Obama's bill S. 2484, the "Protecting Taxpayer Privacy Act." The bill, should it become law, would amend the IRS Code of 1986 to prohibit the disclosure of tax return information by tax return preparers to third parties.
Wendy Weiser Deputy Director, of the Brennan Center's Democracy Program Meets with the Privacy Coalition
Wendy Weiser, Deputy Director of the Brennan Center's Democracy Program, for the June 30, 2009 meeting of the Privacy Coalition discussed a Brennan Center proposal for a state-by-state national program for voter registration.
Joan Friedland Immigration Policy Director at the National Immigration Law Center
Joan Friedland National Immigration Policy Director for the National Immigration Law Center briefed the Privacy Coalition in June 2006 on the new I-9 Employment Eligibility Regulations. She described the goal of the project as turning drivers Licenses in passport cards.
Leahy Senate Judiciary Committee Staff Meets with Priacy Coalition about Data Privacy Bill
Senate Judiciary Committee Staff meet with the Privacy Coalition at the June 2006 meeting. They sought input on a data protection bill under consideration. Leahy and Specter have been working on developing a bill to protect digital information. The Privacy Coalition was asked by the committee staff to offer input into the process.
Frank Moss, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services at the State Department Meets with Privacy Coalition
At the June monthly meeting of the Privacy Coalition, Frank Moss, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Department of State for Passport Services at the Department of State, discussed the agency's plan to include unprotected radio frequency identification (RFID) technology in US passports. Privacy and consumer rights organizations have challenged the agency's plan to use unencrypted chips in all U.S. passports.
Civil Liberties Officer with the Office of National Intelligence Director Along with DHS and DOJ Privacy Heads Meets with Privacy Coalition
The monthly meeting of the Privacy Coalition featured guest speakers Alexander Joel, Civil Liberties Protection Officer, Office of the Director of National Intelligence; Hugo Teufel, Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security; Peter Pietra, Chief Privacy Officer, DHS Transportation Security Administration; David Gerstn, Director, DHS Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties; and Kenneth P. Mortensen, Acting Chief Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer for the Department of Justice.
German Data Protection Commissioner Meets with Privacy Coalition
On March 27, 2009, Peter Schaar German Federal Data Protection Commissioner met with the Privacy Coalition to discuss emerging privacy issues in Europe. The meeting also hosted discussions with the office of State Representative Paul Opsommer (R-MI) on the use of RFID technology and Michigan State Drivers Licenses. Byron Charlton with the AFL-CIO spoke to the group about "Card Check" and the right of a secret ballot. Susan Grant brief the coalition on the new Consumer Federation of America's report on ID theft protection schemes.
Rod Beckstrom Director of DHS's Cybersecurity Center Meets with Privacy Coalition
Rod Beckstrom, Director of the National Cybersecurity Center in the Department of Homeland Security, spoke at the Privacy Coalition's November monthly meeting. Mr. Beckstrom was appointed in March of this year, and he reports directly to the Secretary. He is working on information sharing and collaboration among key federal government agencies. Cindy Rosenwald, New Hampshire State Representative, also presented at the meeting on a state prescription privacy law that she sponsored.
FTC Chair Speaks with Privacy Coalition at June Meeting
William Kovacic, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, participated in the Privacy Coalition's June 2008 meeting. Emily Andrew, Chief Privacy Officer with the US Postal Service also met with the coalition at the same meeting.
Rosemary Rodriguez Chair of the Election Assistance Commission Meets with Coalition
Rosemary Rodriguez, the Chair of the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) met with the Privacy Coalition to talk about transparency and privacy in public elections. The chair of the EAC spoke at the April meeting of the Privacy Coalition. Her work has focused on the need for the EAC to provide greater transparency of its work to the public.
Stuart Shapiro Senior Security Scientist at MITRE Corporation Meets with the Privacy Coalition
In March 2008, the Privacy Coalition heard from the Mitre organization on its work and privacy. His work at MITRE focuses on critical infrastructure protection and on privacy and anonymity.
John Verdi
In February 2008, the Privacy Coalition received a briefing on legislation in the State of Virginia, which would block the application of state FOIA and privacy protection laws to Information Fusion Centers. In an effort to gain insight in the work of the Virginia Information Fusion Center the Electronic Privacy Information Center is seeking to further public dialogue on the work of federal and state law enforcement agencies in this area.
Robert Gellman
In February 2008, the Privacy Coalition received a briefing on a new report by the World Privacy Forum on Personal Health Records.
Gail Hillebrand
In February 2008, Consumers Union provided a briefing on the FTC/banking regulators under Section 312 of FACTA, which had a recent comment period close.
Robert Ellis Smith
In February 2008, the Privacy Coalition heard from the Privacy Journal on the publication of a "Compilation of State and Federal Privacy Laws 2008 Supplement.
Lisa Graves
In February 2008, the Privacy Coalition heard from the Center for National Security Studies on the status of FISA Reform Legislation.
Lee Tien
In February 2008, the Privacy Coalition received an update on the FISA Court Case by the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
2008 Marks the 14th Annual Meeting of the Privacy Coalition
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.
Tom DeWeese
In December 2007, the Privacy Coalition received an update on the SAVE Act and the Privacy of Birth Records. The legislation if passed would require that all birth records be digital to facilitate data sharing of breeder records.
Toby Levin DHS Senior Advisor and Director of Privacy Policy
In December 2007, the Privacy Coalition received a briefing on the Department of Homeland Security's plans to host a 2 day discussion on CCTV deployment for law enforcement purposes.
Chris Kelly Facebook's Chief Privacy Officer Meets with Privacy Coalition
In December 2007, the Privacy Coalition heard from Facebook on its Beacon Application, which would disclose online purchases by users to their network of friends.
Alan Davidson Google's Head of US Government Policy Meets with Privacy Coalition
In October 2007, Alan Davidson Google's head of U.S. Government Policy met with the Privacy Coalition heard from Google on its proposed merger with Double-Click and Privacy.
Tyler Moran with the National Immigration Law Center Meets with the Privacy Coalition
In September, the Privacy Coalition heard from the Employment Policy Director for the National Immigration Law Center, on the topic of employment verification and the Department of Homeland Security. The agency was seeking to direct the Social Security Administration in its use of "No Match Letters."
Mike German
In July 2007, at the regular monthly meeting of the Privacy Coalition, heard a tutorial on Information Fusion Centers
Bruce Fein Founder of the American Freedom Agenda Meets with the Privacy Coalition
In June 2007, at the regular monthly meeting of the Privacy Coalition, the Founder of the American Freedom Agenda spoke on the need to re-establish the balance of power among the three branches of US government.
Robert Cresanti Under Secretary of Technology & Chief Privacy Officer for the Department of Commerce
In March 2007, Under Secretary of Technology & Chief Privacy Officer for the Department of Commerce spoke at the regular monthly meeting of the Privacy Coalition.
Peter Schaar, Chairman of the Article 29 Meets with Privacy Coalition
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.
Robert Mocny DHS's Director of US-VISIT Meets with the Privacy Coalition
Director of US VISIT for the Department of Homeland Security spoke to the Privacy Coalition on September 28, 2007 about his program and privacy matters.
David Gersten DHS's Director of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Programs
Director of the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Programs for the Department of Homeland Security spoke with the Privacy Coalition on September 28, 2007 about the development of DHS Civil Liberties Impact Assessment process.
Deborah Majoras, Chair, Federal Trade Commission
Deborah Majoras, Chair, Federal Trade Commission spoke to the Privacy Coalition during its regular April 2005 meeting.
Doug Curling, President ChoicePoint Meets with the Privacy Coalition
Doug Curling, President ChoicePoint spoke to the December 2006 regular meeting of the Privacy Coalition. He spoke about the company's plan to address the lack of consumer access to information that may be incorrect or incomplete. ChoicePoint provides databroker services to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies as well as the private sector.
Peter Pietra, DHS Transportation Security Administration
Peter Pietra, Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Administration spoke to the March 2007 regular monthly meeting of the Privacy Coalition.
Hugo Teufel, Department of Homeland Security
Hugo Teufel, Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security spoke to the November 2006 regular montly meeting of the Privacy Coalition about the role his office fills at the agency.
Alexander Joel, Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Alexander Joel, Civil Liberties Protection Officer, Office of the Director of National Intelligence spoke to the Privacy Coalition at its July 2006 regular monthly meeting about the work of his office in advising the Director of National Intelligence.
Charles Raul, Vice Chair Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Charles Raul, Vice Chair, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board met with the Privacy Coalition at its July 2006 regular monthly meeting to discuss the work of the Board. He was joined by Mark A. Robbins the Board's Executive Director.
Jane Horvath, US Department of Justice Chief Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer Meets with the Privacy Coalition
Jane Horvath, Chief Privacy and Civil Liberties Officer, with the Department of Justice spoke at the May 2006 regular monthly meeting of the Privacy Coalition.
Dale Underwood, Department of the Treasury
Dale Underwood is in charge of the Office of the Privacy Act Officer for the Department of the Treasury. He spoke to the March 2006 monthly meeting of the Privacy Coalition about the work of his office to support his agency's efforts to enforce the Federal Privacy Act.
James Bamford, Author of "The Puzzle Place" and "Body of Secrets" Speaks with the Privacy Coalition
James Bamford was the luncheon speaker for the 2006 Annual meeting of the Privacy Coalition. He is an author and journalist, and one of the leading experts on the US intelligence agencies. His 1982 best seller "The Puzzle Palace" was the first book to describe the inner workings of the National Security Agency. His subsequent books "Body of Secrets" (2001) and "A Pretext for War" (2004) have received widespread acclaim. Throughout his career, Mr. Bamford has made effective use of the Freedom of Information Act. He was formerly Washington Investigative Producer for ABC's World News Tonight. He is also a member of the EPIC Advisory Board.
Robert O'Harrow, Journalist and Author of "No Place to Hide" Speaks with the Privacy Coalition
Journalist Robert O'Harrow spoke at the 2005 Annual meeting of the Privacy Coalition about his work as a Washington Post reporter and author. His first book, No Place to Hide, is a Washington insider's exposé of how the fast-developing data collection, analysis, and identification technologies first developed for the marketing industry are increasingly used for law enforcement purposes since 9/11.
John Liebowitz, Federal Trade Commissioner Guest Speaker at 11th Annual Meeting
The Honorable John Liebowitz address the January 2005 Annual meeting of the Privacy Coalition. The Federal Trade Commission is headed by five Commissioners, nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate, each serving a seven-year term.
Congressman Barney Frank Featured Guest Speaker at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Privacy Coalition
Congressman Barney Frank addressed the annual dinner for the 11th Annual meeting of the Privacy Coalition. The 2 days of meetings provide an opportunity for privacy, civil liberty, and civil rights advocates to review events of the previous 12 months, and plan activities for the coming year.
Doug Curling, President of ChoicePoint in a Candid Discussion About Privacy
Doug Curling the President of ChoicePoint spoke with the Privacy Coalition about the company's position on privacy related matters. It was the last monthly meeting of the Privacy Coalition for 2006. The December meeting closed a year of meetings that featured Charles Raul, Vice President of the Civil Liberties Oversight Protection Board, and Alexander Joel, the Civil Liberties Protection Officer for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Toby Levin, DHS Senior Advisory on Privacy Meets with Privacy Coalition
Toby Levin, Senior Advisor, Department of Homeland Security attended the Privacy Coalition meeting to discussion the Chief Privacy Officer's role at the agency. The meeting also featured briefings on Department of Defense surveillance of domestic groups, NSA Surveillance Legislation, and Privacy and Immigration reform. A briefing on Privacy and Immigration Reform was lead by the National Immigration Law Center, Rights Working Group, and National Immigration Forum.
