Digital Library

In Acheson Hotels v. Laufer, a Dangerous Opportunity for SCOTUS to Make it Harder to Establish Informational Standing

This morning, the Supreme Court will hear argument in an interesting—and, unfortunately, salacious—case about Article III standing. Acheson Hotels v. Laufer is about whether a person with disabilities has the right to sue a hotel when the hotel fails to provide accessibility information on their website as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA. 

• Access to Information

• Article III Standing

• Consumer Privacy

• Democracy & Free Speech

• Privacy Laws

• Proposed U.S. Legislation

• U.S. Privacy Laws

• U.S. State Privacy Laws

• Analysis

AI Harm Report: Iowa’s Book Ban Implementation Illustrates How New Tech Enables Bad Policy 

EPIC Senior Counsels Calli Schroeder and Ben Winters explain how generative AI takes the already-bad practice of book banning and makes it worse. Book banning is bad enough when it’s humans deciding which content should be censored. Leaving that determination to generative AI opens the door for a program—one that is unable to accurately read context—to irrationally limit what we are able to access and engage with.

• Access to Information

• AI Policy

• Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights

• Democracy & Free Speech

• Analysis

EPIC Cautions OSTP on Data Transfers, Urges Differential Privacy

On March 30, EPIC submitted comments to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) recommending several resources that might assist OSTP in fulfilling the aims of the "Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety" Executive Order.

• Access to Information

• AI in the Criminal Justice System

• Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights

• Democracy & Free Speech

• Fourth Amendment

• Freedom of Information Act

• Government Databases

• Open Government

• Privacy & Racial Justice

• Privacy in Public

• Privacy Laws

• Surveillance Oversight

• Updates

Celebrating Sunshine Week with Some EPIC Open Government Wins

On Freedom of Information Day, which coincides with Sunshine Week and James Madison's birthday, EPIC is highlighting some open government wins from the past year.

• Access to Information

• Democracy & Free Speech

• Freedom of Information Act

• Open Government

• Analysis

D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Agrees with EPIC and EFF: Government Cannot Hide Lethal Injection Company’s Name from Public Based on FOIA Exemption 4

• Access to Information

• Democracy & Free Speech

• Freedom of Information Act

• Open Government

• Updates

EPIC Urges Colorado Supreme Court to Rule Reverse Keyword Warrants are Unconstitutional, Points Toward Effects on Abortion Rights

• Access to Information

• Consumer Privacy

• Democracy & Free Speech

• Fourth Amendment

• Privacy Laws

• Web Scraping

• Updates

Seymour v. Colorado

Whether reverse keyword search warrants violate the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Colorado state constitution.

• Access to Information

• Democracy & Free Speech

• Fourth Amendment

• Privacy Laws

• Amicus Briefs

Europe’s Digital Services Package: What It Means for Online Services and Big Tech

The EU recently passed comprehensive legislation on platform monitoring, digital free speech, and antitrust, largely directed at Big Tech. On July 5, 2022, the European Parliament adopted the Digital Services Package, comprised of the Digital Markets Act (“DMA”) and the Digital Services Act (“DSA”) and first proposed by the European Commission in December 2020. The European Council of Ministers will sign the bills into law this September, and they will take effect in early 2024 (though Big Tech will have to comply within months of entry into force). The Digital Services Package is touted as a “global first,” promising to “safeguard[] freedom of expression and opportunities for digital businesses.” After years of growing tech reliance and tech consolidation, “Democracy is back.”

• Access to Information

• Data Security

• International Privacy

• International Privacy Laws

• Online Harassment

• Social Media Privacy

• Analysis

European Parliament Adopts DSA, DMA

• Access to Information

• Big Data

• Children's Privacy

• Competition and Privacy

• International Privacy

• International Privacy Laws

• Social Media Privacy

• Updates

The Rise of Chinese Surveillance Technology in Africa (part 2 of 6)

Many of China’s tech firms are now among the largest companies in the world. They offer numerous surveillance products initially designed for domestic use but now exported globally. The rise of China’s surveillance tech infrastructure has inspired much scrutiny of China’s behavior, research into potential consequences for domestic and international politics, and questions about the degree to which China is promoting invasive surveillance practices abroad. The heightened scrutiny centers around the increasing collaboration between government actors in Beijing and private Chinese actors in the sale of surveillance tools. Concerns are further amplified by the fact that China and its large firms are increasingly seeking to change the norms and standards for the global use of digital surveillance technologies.

• Access to Information

• Government Databases

• International Privacy

• Analysis