AI

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

May 10 2021

DHS withdraws proposed rule that would have created mandatory biometrics collection for children

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has withdrawn a proposed rulemaking related to biometric collection, USCIS Docket No. USCIS-2019-0007. Last year, WPF urged DHS to withdraw this biometric rulemaking because the rulemaking lacked scientific facts and basis. WPF also found that the DHS biometric proposal avoided discussion of the new barriers it would have created

May 07 2021

FTC agrees to make compliance report public in face recognition-related case; WPF comments had a positive impact

We are extremely pleased and heartened that after years of requesting that the FTC make compliance reports public, that the Commission has agreed to do so with the Everalbum settlement. WPF submitted comments regarding the Everalbum proposed settlement to the US Federal Trade Commission on February 23, 2021. Today, the FTC announced the final settlement and

Feb 23 2021

WPF comments to the US Federal Trade Commission regarding Everalbum proposal

The World Privacy Forum submitted comments to the US Federal Trade Commission regarding its proposed consent order regarding In the Matter of Everalbum, Inc. The FTC alleges that Everalbum misrepresented to its users the circumstances in which the company would utilize face recognition on its users’ photos. The Commission’s complaint also alleges that Everalbum utilized

Jan 12 2021

FTC proposes precedent-setting face recognition settlement: photo app company must delete consumers’ photos and the algorithmic models it developed using the photos

The FTC has proposed a crucially important settlement with a photo app developer, Everalbum Inc., which the FTC says “deceived consumers about its use of facial recognition technology and its retention of the photos and videos of users who deactivated their accounts.” The proposed FTC settlement will require the company to obtain consumers’ express consent

New Report: Risky Analysis: Assessing and Improving AI Governance Tools

We are pleased to announce the publication of a new WPF report, “Risky Analysis: Assessing and Improving AI Governance Tools.” This report sets out a definition of AI governance tools, documents why and how these tools are critically important for trustworthy AI, and where these tools are around the world. The report also documents problems in some AI governance tools themselves, and suggests pathways to improve AI governance tools and create an evaluative environment to measure their effectiveness. AI systems should not be deployed without simultaneously evaluating the potential adverse impacts of such systems and mitigating their risks, and most of the world agrees about the need to take precautions against the threats posed. The specific tools and techniques that exist to evaluate and measure AI systems for their inclusiveness, fairness, explainability, privacy, safety and other trustworthiness issues — called in the report collectively AI governance tools – can improve such issues. While some AI governance tools provide reassurance to the public and to regulators, the tools too often lack meaningful oversight and quality assessments. Incomplete or ineffective AI governance tools can create a false sense of confidence, cause unintended problems, and generally undermine the promise of AI systems. The report contains rich background details, use cases, potential solutions to the problems discussed in the report, and a global index of AI Governance Tools.
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.