A new poll from Data for Progress found that 7 in 10 Americans think the government should be doing more to keep their personal data safe and nearly 8 in 10 Americans across the political spectrum support Senator Gillibrand's Data Protection Act, which creates a U.S. Data Protection Agency. "Our government must continue to evolve alongside our society, and adapt to meet new challenges the American people face," Senator Gillibrand said in a blog post. "I believe the best way to do that is by creating a new federal agency designed with your data privacy in mind: the Data Protection Agency." EPIC has long advocated for the creation of a U.S. Data Protection Agency.
Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) introduced an updated “Protecting the Information of our Vulnerable Children and Youth Act” or the “Kids PRIVCY Act” to strengthen the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). "Representative Castor’s bill makes critical updates to our children's privacy laws to address the dangers of today’s technologies," said Caitriona Fitzgerald, Deputy Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). "Everyone deserves strong privacy protections online, but children and teens especially need to be protected from corporate surveillance and manipulative targeted advertising. The Kids PRIVCY Act prohibits behavioral ad targeting to children and teens and includes strong enforcement mechanisms to ensure that companies comply with the law. EPIC is proud to support this bill and encourages Congress to move this legislation forward in order to protect children and teens online."
EPIC is pleased to announce the newest members of the EPIC Advisory Board. EPIC's new members are leading experts in privacy, technology, and civil liberties law and policy. These experts will help inform EPIC’s important work on emerging privacy and human rights issues. Since its inception, the EPIC Advisory Board has been comprised of innovative and solution-oriented scholars, experts, and advocates. EPIC’s newest Members are: Colleen Brown, Simone Browne, Mishi Choudhary, Michele Bratcher Goodwin, Adrian Gropper, Marcia Hofmann, Jumana Musa, Scott Skinner-Thompson, Ashkan Soltani, Amie Stepanovich, and Katherine Strandburg.
