Our Work
Founded in 2014, the Center on Privacy & Technology is a leader at the intersection of privacy, surveillance, and civil rights.
Latest Work
Emily Tucker Named New Executive Director of the Privacy Center
In February 2022, the Privacy Center welcomed as its new Executive Director Emily Tucker. She previously served as the Center's Director of Research & Advocacy and as an Adjunct Professor of Law. Read Emily's full bio.
Chapter in The Dark Side of Reform
Executive Director Emily Tucker's chapter, "Four Racial Justice Principles for Policy Response to Carceral Technology," was published in The Dark Side of Reform by Lexington Books. The book addresses the development of social policies with the potential to advance racial equity and the implications of such policy proposals.
Advocacy for DC Community Control Over Police Surveillance Model Bill
Associate Cynthia Khoo filed comments in response to the Office of Science and Technology Policy's Notice of Request for Information on Public and Private Sector Uses of Biometric Technologies. The Center's submission focused on biometric surveillance of low-wage workers, and highlighted the importance of situating biometric surveillance technologies in their full historical context through a racial justice and socioeconomic justice lens.
Advocacy for DC Community Control Over Police Surveillance Model Bill
The Community Control Over Police Surveillance Model Bill (CCOPS) was a bill supported by the Community Oversight of Surveillance coalition that would require DC entities to obtain Council approval before acquiring new surveillance technology and entities would be required to report why they wanted to use the technology and the impact it would have on civil rights and liberties. The Center on Privacy and Technology was a client of the Communications and Technology Law Clinic and asked the clinic to advocate on our behalf at coalition meetings about CCOPS.
“Stopping DHS Domestic Surveillance: An Action Plan for the Biden Administration” blog
Senior Associate Harrison Rudolph published a blog detailing how President Biden should dismantle the surveillance agency the Department of Homeland Security has become under President Trump. Read the whole blog here.
First-of-Its-Kind Bill Introduced in D.C. to Stop Discrimination in Automated Decision-Making Tools
D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine introduced the Stop Discrimination by Algorithms Act (SDAA), which seeks to prohibit the use of biased or discriminatory algorithms to inform decisions about housing, employment, education, healthcare, and other important services. This bill was the result of a partnership between the Privacy Center, the Georgetown Law Communications & Technology Law Clinic, Color of Change, and the D.C. Office of the Attorney General. Read the full press release.
Joint Committee Hearing on Massachusetts Information Privacy Act
Associate Cynthia Khoo submitted oral and written testimony on the Massachusetts Information Privacy Act, to the MA Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity. MIPA would restrict biometric and worker surveillance and algorithmic discrimination.
News Beat Podcast: Facial Recognition & Wrongful Arrests
News Beat highlighted the wrongful arrests of Michigan residents Michael Oliver and Robert Williams. Center Senior Associate Clare Garvie spoke with hosts about the risks to free speech and privacy posed by the widespread adoption of the technology, misuse, and its racial impacts.
“Now You See Me — But You Still Can’t Catch Me” blog
Senior Associate Cynthia Khoo published a blog detailing the critical differences between transparency and accountability when it comes to regulating tech companies. Read the whole blog here.
Comments to NIST on “Managing Bias” in Artificial Intelligence
Associate Cynthia Khoo filed comments regarding “A Proposal for Identifying and Managing Bias in Artificial Intelligence” by the National Institute of Science and Technology. The submission focuses on civil rights impacts and the limits of a technical approach to algorithmic bias.