Updates

EPIC, Coalition Caution Against the Use of Information From Commercial Data Brokers in Research

January 15, 2025

EPIC joined the Brennan Center, Demand Progress, and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project in comments to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) regarding “Ethical Guidelines for Research Using Pervasive Data.” The coalition of groups argued that any guidance NTIA provides on the use of pervasive data for research purposes should counsel against the use of information from data brokers. The coalition stated, “reliance on commercial data brokers undermines the research community’s broader ethical and legal obligations, including transparency and deterrence of academic fraud.”

In comments to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) last month, EPIC joined several other organizations to urge OMB to rein in the exploitation of the data broker loophole that allows the government to circumvent both constitutional and statutory protections to obtain Americans’ personal data. EPIC has previously supported the introduction of the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act, which would close the data broker loophole. 

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