Our Work
Founded in 2014, the Center on Privacy & Technology is a leader at the intersection of privacy, surveillance, and civil rights.
Latest Work
Privacy Center proposal granted funding by the National Endowment of Humanities
The Center on Privacy & Technology received notification of funding granted for our proposal "Algorithmic Technology and Knowledge Divestment in American Education" from the National Endowment of Humanities. This is part of the "Dangers and Opportunities of Technology" program and the project is about the implications of edtech for education in the United States.
Privacy Center at “Trust But Verify” event
Senior Associate, Clarence Okoh, spoke at an event hosted by the National Civic League and the Civic Tech League, "Trust But Verify: Using AI Audits to Guide Responsible Government Tech." Clarence spoke on the harms that occur when communities are excluded from tech governance.
Testimony on California SB 274
Director of Research & Advocacy Stevie Glaberson submitted testimony taking no position on California SB 274, which seeks to tighten California law on data collected through automated license plate readers (ALPRs). Stevie submitted testimony that generally supports state action to tighten laws to protect residents from ICE targeting through state-collected data, and supplied the legislators with the findings and recommendations from American Dragnet in support of their efforts.
Privacy Center quoted in EdSurge article about AI in schools
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh was quoted in an EdSurge article, "States Agree About How Schools Should Use AI. Are They Also Ignoring Civil Rights?" by Daniell Mollenkamp about state policies concerning AI in education. "The rise of AI surveillance in public education is one of the most urgent civil and human rights challenges confronting public schools today. Unfortunately, state AI guidance largely ignores this crisis because [states] have been [too] distracted by shiny baubles, like AI chatbots, to notice the rise of mass surveillance and digital authoritarianism in their schools," Okoh said.
“Entrenching Authoritarianism” report covered in Truthout
In an article by Mike Ludwig, "Rights Groups Detail “Authoritarian” Reality of US Surveillance in Report to UN," media outlet Truthout covered the release of “Entrenching Authoritarianism: Expanding the Terrorism Framework and the Infrastructure of Surveillance to Repress Expression and Stifle Dissent,” a joint submission to the UN Human Rights Council from the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law and seven other organizations. The report shows the surveillance system available to the Trump administration and its use to repress freedom of expression.
“Global Landscapes on Data Privacy: The Brazilian National Authority on Data Protection” event hosted by the Privacy Center
From banning Sam Altman’s “Tools for Humanity” iris-scanning crypto project, to stopping Meta from mining user data for training AI, Brazil has been a global trailblazer in issues of privacy and data protection. On April 24, the Director of the Brazilian National Authority for Data Protection, Professor Iagê Miola, joined us for a conversation about the hemispheric landscapes of data protection. Dr. Marianna Poyares, Postdoc Fritz Fellow at the Center on Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law moderated.
“Global Landscapes on Data Privacy” event
The Privacy Center hosted a roundtable discussion with Professor Iagê Miola (Director of the Brazilian National Authority for Data Protection) and Dr. Marianna Poyares (the Privacy Center's post-doc Fritz Fellow). The event, titled "Global Landscapes on Data Privacy: the Brazilian Authority on Data Protection," touched on regulatory principles, how to enact the right to manage one's digital persona, reiterative consent, & the right to digital oblivion. There were 36 attendees.
Privacy Center quoted in NBC4 piece on NIH plans to build database
Associate Emerald Tse was featured in an NBC4 piece about the NIH's plans to build a database of federal and commercial health records. "We know that health information is incredibly sensitive," Tse said. "When people go to their healthcare provider, they're giving up that information because they have to in order to receive a service."
Privacy Center collaboration with the NOTICE Coalition and Macalester College
Senior Associate Clarence Okoh collaborated with the NOTICE Coalition on a project with students at Macalester College in Minnesota that examined the landscape of state-level guidance on AI in public education to see if it specifically addressed digital pushout, algorithmic discrimination, or police surveillance in schools.
Privacy Center quoted in Context piece about AI and Trump’s immigration policy
Associate Emerald Tse was quoted in an article in Context, "How AI is aiding Trump's immigration crackdown," about the Trump’s administration's increased use of surveillance technology to further their immigration policy. “These data intensive tools aggregate all of these data points and create associations,” said Tse, “(They) can implicate the people in your household, your neighbours, your workplace, literally every aspect of your life.”