Pam Dixon, WPF Executive Director, is testifying before the US Senate Banking Committee today on the topic of privacy, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, data brokers, and predictive analytics. “I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss our research and what we have documented about the privacy of Americans ...
WPF's Congressional testimony of Nov. 3, 2015 before the US Senate Judiciary Committee is now available online. Please visit the Senate download site here to access the written testimony. The testimony focuses on data brokers, information security, and regulatory controls. A video of the actual hearing is also available from ...
WPF Executive Director Pam Dixon will testify before the Senate Judiciary this Tuesday, Nov. 3. The hearing is on data broker security, with Chairman Flake presiding. Hearing details: Data Brokers – Is Consumers’ Information Secure? Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law Date: Tuesday, November 3, 2015 Time: 2:30 pm ...
Video of Congressional Testimony on data brokers. Pam Dixon gave this testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee on December 18, 2013 at a hearing dedicated to shedding light on data broker industry practices and how that affects consumers. The full testimony contains numerous examples of data broker activities, consumer scoring, and discusses the solutions that are needed, including a requirement for data broker opt out.
Chairman Rockefeller and Members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today about data brokers, an industry that is often hidden from public view, and the impact of data brokers on consumers’ lives.
Internet and consumer privacy -- The World Privacy Forum's executive director Pam Dixon will testify about online consumer privacy before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce today.
WPF executive director Pam Dixon testified at a joint subcommittee hearing focused on privacy and the collection and use of online and offline consumer information. Dixon's testimony focused on the new "modern permanent record" and how it is used and created. Dixon said "The merging of offline and online data is creating highly personalized, granular profiles of consumers that affect consumers’ opportunities in the marketplace and in their lives. Consumers are largely unaware of these profiles and their consequences, and they have insufficient legal rights to change things even if they did know." The testimony explored concrete examples of problematic consumer profiling activities.
Congressional testimony -- WPF executive director Pam Dixon testified at a joint subcommittee hearing focused on privacy and the collection and use of online and offline consumer information. Dixon's testimony focused on the new "modern permanent record" and how it is used and created. Dixon said "The merging of offline and online data is creating highly personalized, granular profiles of consumers that affect consumers’ opportunities in the marketplace and in their lives. Consumers are largely unaware of these profiles and their consequences, and they have insufficient legal rights to change things even if they did know." The testimony explored concrete examples of problematic consumer profiling activities.
I am particularly interested in developments related to online and offline data flows of consumer information. Given the advances in technology that have significantly broadened and deepened the scope of consumer data collection practices, and given the new ways that these technologies and practices can shape and impact an individual’s experiences and opportunities, I believe the decisions that this Committee arrives at will be of lasting importance. Given the transition our society is undergoing from analog to digital, it is crucial to question what changes the new environment brings, what new controls it includes, and its meaning for our day-to-day lives. It is especially crucial to carefully examine and to discuss the effects these developments will have for the consumer. We must look for a fair balance between benefit, risk, and harm.
