Privacy

Testimony to the House Administration Committee on “Big Data: Privacy Risks and Needed Reforms in the Public and Private Sectors”
To avoid a patchwork of conflicting state privacy laws and unnecessary costs, Congress should act swiftly to pass comprehensive federal privacy legislation that preempts states, streamlines regulation, establishes basic consumer data rights, and minimizes the impact on innovation.
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For a menu of actionable ideas for policymakers related to privacy, see ITIF’s “Tech Policy To-Do List.”

Privacy
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June 15, 2022
Children’s Privacy in Review: The Future of COPPA
It’s been nearly a decade since the FTC updated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule, which implements the law that governs the collection of personal information from children
April 28, 2022
Lessons from Social Media for Creating a Safe Metaverse
While scrutiny of metaverse platforms is essential to ensure a safe, equitable, and inclusive environment, policymakers should be cautious of rushing to regulate the metaverse, such as by eroding intermediary liability protections or restricting the use of “algorithms” because allowing platforms the freedom to experiment and innovate will best position them to address new challenges.
March 8, 2022
To Meet Tech Mandates, Federal Agencies Should Leverage Best-In-Class Technology That Delivers on Both Customer Experience and Cybersecurity
Last year, President Biden issued two executive orders (EOs) that mandated federal agencies invest in cybersecurity and customer experience (CX).
February 18, 2022
Maryland’s Biometrics Bill Fails to Strike the Right Balance for Privacy and Innovation
As Congress drags its feet on passing federal data-privacy legislation, state and local governments will continue to try filling in the gaps without considering the potential economic impact.
February 16, 2022
Testimony to the House Administration Committee on “Big Data: Privacy Risks and Needed Reforms in the Public and Private Sectors”
To avoid a patchwork of conflicting state privacy laws and unnecessary costs, Congress should act swiftly to pass comprehensive federal privacy legislation that preempts states, streamlines regulation, establishes basic consumer data rights, and minimizes the impact on innovation.
February 8, 2022
IRS Was Wrong to Give In to Hysteria and Drop Use of Facial Verification to Fight Fraud and Protect Consumers
Last year, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that it was going to begin using facial recognition to improve its identity verification process when taxpayers access its online tools (e.g., to get a copy of their tax records) to increase consumer security and reduce fraud. To do this, taxpayers would upload a copy of their government ID, along with a video selfie, to verify their identity.
February 1, 2022
Technology Has Created Much More Privacy Than It Has Destroyed. Let’s Keep It That Way
“Defending Digital” Series, No. 2: Policymakers are well aware of the privacy risks that come with modern digital technologies, but they largely ignore the many important ways that the Internet and smartphones build privacy into our everyday lives.
January 27, 2022
Patchwork Penalty: The Hidden Toll of State Privacy Laws
ITIF hosted a discussion a study on the economic impact that a patchwork of state privacy laws will likely have on U.S. businesses, the key criteria Congress should consider in future federal data-privacy legislation to minimize these costs, and the opportunity for the United States to embrace an innovation-friendly data protection framework that protects consumers while streamlining regulation.
January 24, 2022
Why Congress Should Pass Data Privacy Legislation in 2022
Data privacy legislation has been on the Congressional to-do list for years, but as more states consider their own comprehensive privacy laws and Europe’s privacy regulation approaches its fifth anniversary, the federal government continues to lag behind.
January 24, 2022
The Looming Cost of a Patchwork of State Privacy Laws
In the absence of a federal privacy law, a growing patchwork of state laws burdens companies with multiple, duplicative compliance costs. The out-of-state costs from 50 such laws could exceed $1 trillion over 10 years, with at least $200 billion hitting small businesses.

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