EPIC Urges Department of Transportation to Prioritize Privacy in Development of New Technologies

In comments to the Non-Traditional and Emerging Transportation Technologies Council, an interagency group housed within the Department of Transportation, EPIC urged the Council to “investigate the privacy impacts of emerging transportation technologies, promulgate guidelines for privacy in transit systems, and stand up a working group to study the issue of privacy in transit.” EPIC’s comments highlighted the need to build privacy into new transit systems from the earliest planning stages, described the risks of location tracking in emerging technologies, and argued that prioritizing privacy can be a competitive advantage. 

EPIC regularly comments, testifies, and submits amicus briefs on the intersection of transportation and privacy. Most recently, EPIC submitted an amicus brief arguing that the third party doctrine of the Fourth Amendment should not apply to location information from Boston’s mass transit system.