Representative Trahan Releases EPIC-Backed Blueprint for Updating the Privacy Act 

This week, Representative Lori Trahan (MA-03) published Privacy, Trust, and Effective Government: A Bipartisan Blueprint for Modernizing the Privacy Act, a new report outlining ten ways to strengthen the crucial but outdated Privacy Act of 1974. The report comes after EPIC and others submitted comments to Representative Trahan in 2025.  

The Privacy Act of 1974 is a crucial piece of the legal framework protecting people from government overreach and abuse of their personal information. However, the Act has become outdated due to technological advances and is increasingly ineffective in the face of overbroad exceptions and deliberate agency non-compliance. Rampant privacy violations across the federal government in the last year crystallize our need for stronger protections. 

Integrating the input of EPIC and others, Representative Trahan’s report recommends updating the Privacy Act to modernize the Act’s requirements, narrow overbroad exceptions, and enhance oversight and enforcement, among others. EPIC applauds Congresswoman Trahan for meeting this moment and going beyond it with her report.  

EPIC has advocated for a stronger Privacy Act from the beginning. We will continue to fight for an updated Privacy Act and push back against the federal government’s privacy violations.