Since late 2007, the United States and a number of other countries, including Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea, have been negotiating an "Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement" (ACTA). The aggressive timetable of the negotiation effort, together with a pronounced lack of transparency, create a risk that controversial or ill-advised provisions could find their way into the final text of an agreement with no meaningful opportunity for…
Testimony of Greg Nojeim On Restoring the Rule of Law – submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on the Constitution (submitted on October 1, 2008)
The 9/11 Commission Report highlighted the need for increased security when issuing driver’s licenses and ID cards in the United States. In response, Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) of 2004. Among other provisions, the law called for a negotiated rulemaking to create new federal standards for state driver’s licenses nationwide. Notably, the rulemaking process included state DMV representatives, state elected officials, the…
In recent years and at an accelerating pace, technology and market forces have been fundamentally changing the advertising industry through the collection, storage and use of information. One growing industry, "behavioral advertising," involves the compilation of detailed information about an Internet user’s online activities. Data about how consumers interact with certain sites–which articles they read, which advertisements they click on, the purchases they make, or the length of time…
(1) U.S. Government Should Abandon RFID-Enabled Border Crossing Documents
(2) Government Moves Ahead Despite Privacy Warnings
(3) Alleged Benefits Do Not Outweigh the Privacy Risks
(4) Still Time to Change Policy and Adopt Privacy Protecting Technology
(1) U.S. Government Should Abandon Insecure RFID-Enabled Border Crossing Documents
In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the 9/11 Commission identified the security of U.S….
Testimony of Deven McGraw before the Health Subcommittee of the House Committee on Ways and Means on "Protecting the Adoption and Use of Health Information Technology"
Testimony of Alissa Cooper before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on "What Your Broadband Provider Knows About Your Web Use: Deep Packet Inspection and Communications Laws and Policies"
Federal privacy laws have historically been successful in helping to protect personal information in the hands of federal government. However, inconsistent implementation and failure to update these laws with current technology have widened gaps in the law. CDT urges legislation to bring privacy laws up to date in order to minimize threats to privacy.
(1) Legislation Needed to Bring Privacy Laws Up to Date
(2) Shortcomings…