Our Work
Founded in 2014, the Center on Privacy & Technology is a leader at the intersection of privacy, surveillance, and civil rights.
Latest Work
“American Dragnet” report cited in the San Francisco Chronicle
Privacy Center Executive Director Emily Tucker spoke with San Francisco Chronicle's Ko Lyn Cheang about a Richmond, CA municipal debit card program for undocumented immigrants that might have created an avenue for federal immigration enforcement to target them. While Tucker was not quoted, the article cited the Privacy Center's report American Dragnet: "A 2021 report, the result of a two-year investigation by Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology, found that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, had a $21 million contract with a data broker to access more than 400 million names, addresses and utility records."
Privacy Center Fritz Fellow presented at 2025 STS Hub “Diffracting the Critical”
Dr. Marianna Poyares was one of the panelists of the 2025 STS Hub, taking place at the Humboldt Universität in Berlin March 11 - 14. Her presentation "The border at the center: why a critical STS must grapple with border enforcement" argues that new technologies of border and immigration enforcement consist of some of the most extreme forms of surveillance and data extraction, disregarding individual and human rights protections, as they operate within the normative equivalent of a state of exception.
Privacy Center hosted No, We Don’t Live In A F%#*ing Simulation mini-course
The Privacy Center hosted its mini-course No, We Don't Live In A F%#*ing Simulation, co-taught by Executive Director Emily Tucker and philosopher David McNeil. The course was held in person at Georgetown Law from 10 AM to 5 PM.
Privacy Center Senior Associate featured on a panel at University of Maryland School of Law
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh was invited to speak at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law at a symposium hosted by the Maryland Journal of Race, Religion, Gender, and Class. The symposium focused on the impact of technology on race, religion, and gender with panels of speakers dedicated to each topic. Okoh was on a panel titled "Panel on Race, Technology, and the Law" with Chaz Arnett, Margaret Hu, and Jessica Eaglin.
“When AI Eats the Manager” event co-sponsored by Privacy Center and Fairwork
The Privacy Center co-sponsored a launch event with Fairwork for their new report "When AI Eats the Manager." The event featured speakers Veena Dubal (University of California, Irvine), Mark Graham (University of Oxford), David Seligman (Towards Justice), Funda Ustek Spilda (King’s College, London), and Katie J. Wells (Groundwork Collaborative) who discussed the reports findings.
“The Impact of AI on Students, Education, and Privacy” Black History Month event hosted by Honey Brown Hope Foundation
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh spoke at Black History Event titled "The Impact of AI on Students, Education, and Privacy" focused on technology and racial justice at the Houston Community College and hosted by the Honey Brown Hope Foundation and the NOTICE Coalition's No Data About Us Without Us Fellowship Program.
The Privacy Center at the Center & Institutes open house at Georgetown Law
The Privacy Center attended the Georgetown Law Center Centers & Institutes Open House event, an annual event for current students that showcases the work of the Law Center's Centers & Institutes. The Privacy Center had a table at the event and spoke with students about the Privacy Center's work and how to get involved.
Privacy Center quoted in Lever article about the mass surveillance of youth
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh was quoted in a media article by the Lever "Rage Against the Algorithm." Okoh was quoted describing the dystopian realities of mass surveillance of youth and their communities.
“Seeking the Good and the Real in An Algorithmic Age” event hosted by the Privacy Center
On February 20, 2025 the Privacy Center hosted an event titled "Seeking the Good and the Real in an Algorithmic Age" which featured a conversation between Privacy Center Advisor Board member Antón Barba-Kay and Lowry Pressly. The two discussed their recent books: A Web of Our Own Making: The Nature of Digital Formation and The Right to Oblivion: Privacy and the Good Life, by Barba-Kay and Pressly respectively.
“Suffering is Real. AI Consciousness is Not.” article published in Tech Policy Press
Executive Director Emily Tucker and David McNeill co-authored an article in Tech Policy Press: "Suffering is Real. AI Consciousness is Not." The article was mentioned in the "Top stories on Tech Policy Press" newsletter: "Wondering where today's subject line came from? It's from this piece, which is a must-read. Some AI enthusiasts are fantasizing about the potential future suffering of chatbots. But David McNeill and Emily Tucker say there are a lot of very good reasons for rejecting the claim that contemporary AI research is on its way toward creating genuinely intelligent, much less conscious, machines. (This is one of my personal favorites this week.)"