Data Ethics

Sep 06 2018

Voting system data breach notifications – National Academies of Science recommendations for securing voting systems

The National Academies of Science have released Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy. The consensus report richly documents how, during the 2016 presidential election, actors sponsored by the Russian government attacked the US voting and election infrastructure. The report assesses the web of technology infrastructures related to voting, and gives detailed recommendations for strengthening these

Jul 16 2018

WPF Summer & Fall 2018 Privacy Events

WPF will be speaking and/or participating in the following events this summer and fall. Please join us, or let us know if you will be attending. Global Forum on Artificial Intelligence, Swiss Re Center for Global Dialogue, 9-10 July 2018. Zurich, Switzerland. Pam Dixon, WPF Executive Director, delegate. Europlace International Financial Forum, 11-12 July 2018.

Feb 13 2018

The New Data Ethics: building a pathway forward

A data ethics conversation has been growing on a global scale for some time now, but particularly since 2015, when the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) issued an Opinion on the matter and formed a Data Ethics Advisory Group to further consider the issue. Along the way, other countries, such as Canada, have begun formal

Nov 15 2017

Modern Privacy and the Digital Ecosystem: WPF Keynote

WPF is presenting a keynote speech to the Consumer Action National Conference. The speech, entitled Modern Privacy and the Digital Ecosystem, will cover a wide range of topics, including top-line topics in privacy, key areas to work on going forward, and privacy myths and realities. The Consumer Action event is being held in November 15

Sep 21 2017

WPF’s schedule at the 39th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners

The World Privacy Forum will be speaking several times during the International Conference of Data Protection & Privacy Commissioners in Hong Kong; here’s the schedule, below; we look forward to meeting or catching up with those of you attending, please come by and say hello. Monday 25 September: European Data Protection Supervisor side meeting/conference, WPF

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.