AI

Feb 21 2022

WPF commends CAIDP’s AI and Democratic Values Index

WPF commends the publication of the Artificial Intelligence and Democratic Values Index by the Center for AI and Digital Policy (CAIDP). The Index, which was published 21 February 2022, contains an overview of AI implementation in the country-level context, covering 50 countries, and focusing on how implementations are progressing. WPF’s Executive Director, Pam Dixon, contributed to

Dec 10 2021

WPF executive director voted in as member of OECD civil society steering committee

After many years of participating as a civil society delegate at OECD, WPF’s executive director Pam Dixon has been voted onto the steering committee for OECD’s civil society arm, CSISAC. “It is an honor to be voted in by my fellow members of civil society to the CSISAC steering committee, and I am looking forward

Nov 16 2021

WPF mini documentary on challenges in ID systems – launching 17 November

WPF is launching a mini-documentary about problems in identity systems on 17 November, 2021. Digital identity systems are generally accepted as positive tools for social good. Nevertheless, they can pose several dangers and cause significant concerns. This mini-documentary takes viewers on a tour around the world to hear from real people as they interact with identity systems in their own

Aug 11 2021

WPF urges the Federal Reserve Board of Governors to ensure quality assurance and control mechanisms for biometric authentication in debit card payment systems

In comments filed with the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, WPF supported proposed language for Comment 235.7 (A)-1, Scope of Restriction, with the understanding that more needs to be done to determine and set quality assurance measures for debit card payment system authentication methods in general, and for biometric methods in particular. WPF requests that

Jul 29 2021

AI systems developed in response to COVID-19: Survey

During the pandemic, health ecosystems have changed dramatically. WPF has been engrossed in researching these changes, and is participating in multiple stakeholder groups assessing the impact of the pandemic on privacy interests. One of our activities is in the OECD AI Observatory, where we are a delegate in the ONE AI working group on implementing trustworthy

National IDs Around the World — Interactive map

About this Data Visualization: This interactive map displays the presence...
Report: From the Filing Cabinet to the Cloud: Updating the Privacy Act of 1974

This comprehensive report and proposed bill text is focused on the Privacy Act of 1974, an important and early Federal privacy law that applies to the government sector and some contractors. The Privacy Act was written for the 1970s information era -- an era that was characterized by the use of mainframe computers and filing cabinets. Today's digital information era looks much different than the '70s: smart phones are smarter than the old mainframes, and documents are now routinely digitized and stored and perhaps even analyzed in the cloud, among many other changes. The report focuses on why the Privacy Act needs an update that will bring it into this century, and how that could look and work. This work was written by Robert Gellman, and informed by a two-year multi-stakeholder process.
COVID-19 and HIPAA: HHS’s Troubled Approach to Waiving Privacy and Security Rules for the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic strained the U.S. health ecosystem in numerous ways, including putting pressure on the HIPAA privacy and security rules. The Department of Health and Human Services adjusted the privacy and security rules for the pandemic through the use of statutory and administrative HIPAA waivers. While some of the adjustments are appropriate for the emergency circumstances, there are also some meaningful and potentially unwelcome privacy and security consequences. At an appropriate time, the use of HIPAA waivers as a response to health care emergencies needs a thorough review. This report sets out the facts, identifies the issues, and proposes a roadmap for change.