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The neglected intersection between poverty and privacy in the United States

WPF is pleased to announce a new project examining the intersection between poverty and privacy in the United States. In the United States, the prevailing discussions about privacy rarely contemplate the poor, or how — or where — the poor or financially stressed may experience privacy challenges. This is also true of many legislative discussions regarding data governance, data protection, and privacy; there is generally not routine scrutiny of the intersection and impacts of proposed statutory language or approaches regarding those who live at or below the poverty level.

WPF advises National Institutes of Health re: Genomic Data Sharing Policy

WPF filed comments to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) regarding its Genomic Data Sharing Policy. WPF recognizes that NIH is attempting to create a reasonable standard. Nonetheless, WPF urged NIH to better "future proof" its genomic data sharing proposal, and in particular requested NIH to look further into key areas, including the impacts of "genomic big data" and the limits of deidentification.

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 ...

WPF mini documentary on challenges in ID systems - in collaboration with ID4Africa

WPF launched a mini-documentary about problems in identity systems on 17 November, 2021 in collaboration with ID4Africa. 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 ...

National IDs Around the World — Interactive map

About this Data Visualization : This interactive map displays the presence of National IDs and electronic IDs, including biometric IDs, in countries globally. The raw dataset used to create the map data originates from the World Bank (See data sourcing below). This dataset covers high, middle and lower income countries. ...

WPF urges HHS National Vaccine Advisory Committee to extend privacy protections of vaccination information

In public testimony September 15, 2021, WPF's Executive Director urged the Department of Health and Human Services National Vaccine Advisory Committee Committee to establish broadened protections for covid-19 vaccination data, including extending the existing CDC Guidance (from May 2021) prohibiting commercial marketing use of vaccination registration information or other vaccination ...

WPF supports CDC guidance prohibiting use of vaccine recipients' data for commercial marketing purposes, urges that protections are extended to proof of vaccination systems

WPF's Executive Director spoke today before the US Center For Disease Control's ACIP Committee regarding privacy protections for vaccine recipients' data. WPF supported the CDC’s prohibition on the use of vaccine recipient data for commercial marketing purposes. The CDC’s Vaccination Program Provider Requirement s , published in May 18, 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 ...

WPF urges FTC Chair and Commissioners to update FTC Health Breach Notification Rule

The FTC held an historic open FTC Commission meeting, during which the Chair and Commissioners conducted their business openly and also provided an opportunity for public comments. The World Privacy Forum was selected to provide a public comment, which focused on the need to update the Health Breach Notification Rule. 

Vaccine Certificates: a podcast with Anit Mukherjee, WPF's Pam Dixon, and Camilla Ravnbøl

As vaccination campaigns gear up around the world, talk has turned to the logistics and ethics of providing people with vaccination certificates or, for purposes of travel, vaccination "passports." This podcast, hosted by the Center for Global Development's Anit Mukherjee, with Pam Dixon and Camilla Ravnbøl, focuses in on the key aspects of vaccine certificate systems and their implications.

Roundtable: Are current models of data protection fit for purpose? Understanding the consequences for economic development

WPF’s Executive Director Pam Dixon will be moderating a Center for Global Development roundtable May 20 to discuss data governance models from the perspective of low and middle income countries. This is part of her ongoing work as co-chair of the Governing Data for Development project working group. Michael Pisa, ...

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.

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 ...

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 ...