Our Work
Founded in 2014, the Center on Privacy & Technology is a leader at the intersection of privacy, surveillance, and civil rights.
Latest Work
Newsletter on First Amendment Rights and Abortion
Former associate Korica Simon published a piece in a newsletter for the Initiative for a Representative First Amendment (IfRFA) at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University in their capacity as a former IfRFA fellow. The piece talks about new laws states have passed around abortion, the intersection the first amendment rights and whether they are constitutional.
Blog Post Named the Most-Read Tech Policy Press Contributor Post of 2022
Executive Director Emily Tucker's blog post "Artifice and Intelligence" was named the most-read Tech Policy Press Contributor post of 2022. The post explained why the Privacy Center decided to stop using the terms “artificial intelligence,” “AI,” and “machine learning” in its work to expose and mitigate the harms of digital technologies in the lives of individuals and communities.
Response to President Biden’s AI Executive Order
The Privacy Center signed on to comments relating to OMB's guidance following the Biden AI EO. Comments were written by Just Futures Law, Surveillance Resistance Lab, UCLA Center on Race and Digital Justice, Mijente and Media Justice, many of whom have been and continue to be partners in Privacy Center efforts. The comments focused on the OMB guidance specifically as it relates to DHS and federal acquisition and use of AI impacting immigrant communities.
Op-Ed: The DC Council Must Pass the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act
Senior Associate Cynthia Khoo co-authored an op-ed in the Washington Post with Daniel Jellins, staff lawyer and clinical teaching fellow at the Communications and Technology Law Clinic at Georgetown Law. The op-ed sets out the differences between algorithmic discrimination and "analog" discrimination; explains why algorithmic discrimination requires legal reform to address; and calls on DC Council to pass the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act.
Written Testimony Provided in Support of the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act
The Center submitted written testimony in support of the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act to the Council of the District of Columbia, co-authored by Senior Associate Cynthia Khoo, Associate Korica Simon, and Executive Director Emily Tucker. Their comments expanded on Khoo's oral testimony at hearing, further elaborating on the nature of algorithmic discrimination; arguing that business costs should not be weighed in prohibiting illegal discrimination; correcting industry talking points regarding technical definitions and the state of the relevant legal, policy, and research field; and urging DC Council to act now to reduce harm, rather than wait to follow potential future federal initiatives.
Oral Testimony Provided in Support of the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act
Senior Associate Cynthia Khoo submitted oral testimony in support of the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act (SDAA), at a hearing held by the Committee on Government Operations and Facilities at the Council of the District of Columbia. She emphasized that algorithmic discrimination is distinct from "analog" discrimination and pointed out that intent is not determinative in anti-discrimination law and is often missing from the kind of sociotechnical systems that give rise to algorithmic discrimination.
Article in the NYU Review of Law and Social Change
Emily Tucker's article "Deliberate Disorder: How Policing Algorithms Make Thinking About Policing Harder" was published in the NYU Review of Law and Social Change Vol. 46. The article argues that algorithmic policing furthers brutality and interferes in critical deliberation of what policing is and what it should be.
“Book review: Daring Greatly by Brené Brown” blog
Deputy Director Katie Evans posted a book review of Brené Brown's Daring Greatly on our blog. Read the whole blog here.
Amicus Curiae Brief in Illinois Face Recognition Case
Associate Jameson Spivack wrote an op-ed in The Washington Post arguing that Maryland's criminal justice reform legislation should include restrictions on predictive police technologies.
“What’s past is prologue, present, and future” blog
Associate Jameson Spivack published a blog post about the plethora of harms and flaws of predictive policing. Read the whole blog here.