The topic of privacy is more prominent than ever. From the scandals around Facebook and Cambridge Analytica to the passage and implementation of data protection laws in Europe, Brazil, California, and around the world, people are discussing the benefits and challenges that come with increased collection and use of data. But we don’t yet know how the U.S. government is going to respond.
The Data Privacy Summit was a full-day event at the Eaton Hotel (1201 K Street NW) in Washington, D.C. to examine the contours of the data ecosystem in the United States and the need for a legislative response. This event brought together privacy experts across different fields for an interactive dialogue to map the current data privacy debate, identify where consensus exists, and narrow existing questions where more clarity is needed, all toward the ultimate goal of achieving a comprehensive, rights-respecting data protection framework in the United States.
Photos by Jack Conroy. See our full gallery here.
Few realize that the U.S. was once a global leader on privacy. As we kick off the day, participants will introduce short narratives on key data privacy landmarks in the United States and how privacy conversations have evolved. Experts will explore this progression, including passage of important legislation to regulatory actions, to show shifts in approach and understanding and explain where we are today.
There remains little transparency to the public on how data is collected and used online. Privacy policies are long and arduous, and data brokers and ad networks frequently pop up in the background of websites to collect massive amounts of data. And to make matters more difficult, smartphone apps constantly ask for permission to use cameras and microphones or access location information, and the number and reach of IoT devices expands constantly. Speakers will discuss how the data ecosystem works and who is involved, charting the ways data is collected, analyzed, used, and transferred.
As stakeholders have started to coalesce around the idea that the U.S. should pursue federal data privacy legislation, one debate has stood out: should a federal law trump all other proposals or should states be allowed to continue to legislate new protections? On one side parties point to the difficulty of a patchwork system of laws, while others point to the need for a flexible approach. Using themes identified during the morning sessions, this debate will consider the benefits and issues involved with federal preemption.
The United States has no baseline federal data privacy legislation. While some may see this as a benefit for innovation, the lack of rules is also likely to have facilitated data abuse and manipulation. How can data privacy legislation better protect against these bad behaviors without devolving into a bureaucratic compliance-based system? In this session speakers will be asked to consider previously-submitted audience scenarios and identify what issues are being raised and how legislative, regulatory, or other approaches could respond.
 Rohit Chopra [+]Commissioner |
 Ted Lieu [+] Congressman Representing the 33rd District of California |
 Malka Older [+]Author (the Centenal Cycle); Aid Worker; Phd Candidate |
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 Ian Adams [+]VP of Policy, |
 David Brody [+]Counsel & Senior Fellow for Privacy and Technology, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law |
 Afua Bruce [+]Director of Technology, |
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 Ted Dean [+]Head of Public Policy, |
 Kendall C. Burman [+]Cybersecurity & Data Privacy counsel, |
 Marshall Erwin [+]Senior Director of Trust & Security, |
 Ariel Fox Johnson [+]Senior Counsel, Policy & Privacy, |
 Cameron Kerry[+]Ann R. and Andrew H. Tisch Distinguished Visiting Fellow - Governance Studies, Center for Technology Innovation, the Brookings Institution |
 Meg Leta Jones [+]Assistant Professor, |
 Lea Kissner [+]Chief Privacy Officer, |
 Estelle Massé [+]Senior Policy Analyst and Global Data Protection Lead, Access Now |
 Gaurav Laroia [+]Policy Cousel, |
 Jasmine McNealy [+]Assistant Professor, College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida |
 Drew Mitnik [+] Policy Counsel, |
 Andrea Limbago [+]Chief Social Scientist, |
 Susan Lyon-Hintze [+]Founder and Managing Partner, |
 Katie McInnis[+]Policy Counsel |
 Stephanie Nguyen [+]Designer + Researcher; Fellow, Center for Public Leadership at Harvard Kennedy School |
 Francella Ochillo [+]Vice President of Policy & General Counsel, National Hispanic Media Coallition |
 Harriet Pearson [+]Partner, |
 Andrea Peterson [+]Investigator, |
 Jules Polonetsky [+]CEO, |  Brett Solomon [+] Executive Director, |
 Amie Stepanovich [+]U.S. Policy Manager, |
 Kate Tummarello [+]Policy Manager |  Cindy Southworth [+]Executive Vice President, U.S. National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) |
 Peter Swire [+]Holder Chair of Law & Ethics, Georgia Tech College of Business & Senior Consel, Alston & Bird LLP |
 Maurice Turner [+]Senior Technologiest, Center for Democracy & Technology |
Back to Agenda | Watch the conference recap |
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Note that this and all other Access Now events are subject to our Code of Conduct.
We will strive to make the Data Privacy Summit accessible for all. If there is anything we can do to assist you, please contact Amie Stepanovich at amie@accessnow.org.