Issues

Data Protection

Data Protection laws safeguard personal data by regulating the ways private companies and governments store and use data.

Background

Organizations that choose to collect and use personal data necessarily take on obligations for the collection, storage, and use of the data. These obligations help ensure fairness, accountability, and transparency in decisions about individuals. Data Protection laws should build on the U.S. Code of Fair Information Practices and OECD Privacy Guidelines, which are widely followed and form the basis of other data protection regimes.

  • Children's Privacy

    Children today spend more time online than ever before. From virtual school to online games, children spend time on the internet and deserve protection so that they may learn and play safely.

  • Enforcement of Privacy Laws

    There are two main forms of enforcement in U.S. privacy laws: government enforcement and a private right of action.

  • Government Records & Privacy

    Government records are a trove of personal information that must be strictly protected to prevent abuses.

  • Health Privacy

    Sensitive health data is now collected and used ubiquitously and protections must be put in place to address these new risks.

  • International Privacy

    From new privacy regulations to international enforcement cooperation to data sharing agreements, information is no longer limited by geographic boundaries. Personal data must be protected globally.

  • Location Tracking

    Many different entities may be tracking and selling your movements to others—including the government.

  • Student Privacy

    Students do not shed their rights at the schoolhouse gate, and the right to privacy is no exception.

  • Workplace Privacy

    Technology has greatly increased employers’ ability to monitor employees both at work and outside of work.

Contact EPIC’s Experts on Data Protection

Explore EPIC’s Work on Data Protection

Browse amicus briefs, documentation obtained through FOIA litigation, testimony, agency comments, and archival materials related to EPIC’s work on surveillance oversight.

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