Maybe one day the IAB will stop its deceptive fearmongering and conflation of surveillance advertising and ad-supported content and services. Nobody is calling for an end to advertising. And, it may be wise to stop speaking as though advertising is synonymous with opacity, ubiquitous tracking, and intrusion. #privacy #dataethics #transparency #adtech

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Commerce Secretary releases a sophisticated but practical plan for AI Safety. Many stakeholders will need to coordinate, debate, compromise and get stuff done to execute on this - a huge but achievable challenge. https://lnkd.in/erV46tvG Now - Congress (and the Administration) just need to ensure the funding and staffing is in place so the AI Safety Institute can execute. Join Future of Privacy Forum on June 5th to hear more and discuss with the AI Safety Institute Chief Vision Officer and other AI experts in Congress, in the state legislature, in civil society, academia and industry.

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The National Academy of Public Administration announced today a new "Field Guide for Financing Public-Sector Integrated Data Systems and Evaluation" designed to be an all-in-one resource. The federal government spends more than $1.2 trillion annually on grants to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, whose leaders need to know what works and how to sustain high performance. Policy challenges and priorities require holistic approaches that draw on multiple agencies and programs. The Field Guide aims to address knowledge gaps and establish best practices for government leaders at all levels. Among other important elements, the Field Guide: - Walks through allowable ways to spend federal grant dollars on data and evaluation capacity. - Shows how to match funding strategies with goals for building, operating, and/or enhancing an integrated data system (IDS). - Provides rich examples and case studies of how leading states and localities are already doing this work and paying for it effectively. - Explains how to prepare for an audit of IDS. - Points the way to non-federal sources that can help fill gaps in IDS funding. Learn more at our site! https://lnkd.in/exDpcZN5 Terry Gerton Erika Cintron Jonathan Garcia Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) National Association of Counties The Council of State Governments ICMA - International City/County Management Association National Association of State Budget Officers National Association of State Chief Administrators

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The General Services Administration (GSA) has announced plans to transition sub-award reporting capabilities to SAM.gov in March, as part of its efforts to retire FSRS.gov and enhance the user experience for individuals managing sub-award information and executive compensation data. According to GSA's statement on Monday, this shift will allow users to handle reporting for all their Unique Entity IDs (UEI) through a single account, streamline the sharing of reporting tasks among team members, and provide greater control over report management. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dgb27_m2

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Great summary of the various bills Governor Newsom vetoed/signed in Tuesday's The Washington Post "Tech Brief" by Cristiano Lima-Strong. Highlights below: Vetoed: 🤖 AI safety testing (S.B. 1047)   - Would have required companies to test powerful AI systems before release and exposed them to liability for significant harm. 🔒 Children's privacy expansion (A.B. 1949)   - Would have prohibited companies from selling or sharing minors' personal data without consent for children under 18. 🚫 Opt-out privacy (A.B. 3048)   - Would have made it easier for users to opt out of having their data collected by tech companies. Signed: 🗳️ Election deepfakes (A.B. 2655, A.B. 2355, and A.B. 2839)   - A.B. 2655: Forces big digital platforms to take down or label deceptive election-related material.   - A.B. 2355: Requires disclosure of AI-created or altered images in election-related ads.   - A.B. 2839: Extends the time frame for prohibiting distribution of deceptive content about candidates. 🔞 Sexually explicit deepfakes (S.B. 926 and S.B. 981)   - S.B. 926: Criminalizes distribution of perceived-authentic, distressing sexually explicit AI-generated material.   - S.B. 981: Mandates social media platforms allow reporting of "sexually explicit digital identity theft." 📱 'Addictive' social media feeds (S.B. 976)   - Bars tech companies from serving minors "addictive" social media feeds without parental consent. 👶 AI-generated child abuse material (A.B. 1831 and S.B. 1381)   - Expands rules against child sexual abuse material to include AI-generated or digitally altered content. 🔍 AI transparency (S.B. 942 and A.B. 2013)   - S.B. 942: Requires generative AI developers to digitally mark their tools' outputs.   - A.B. 2013: Mandates AI developers disclose information about data used to train their models. https://lnkd.in/eHaA776b

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Folks debating the need for state AI laws may be missing the fact that with recent state privacy laws, states have already regulated AI - consider the extensive AI rulemaking underway at the California Privacy Protection Agency. Note the Christmas week guidance from the Oregon AG on how state law already extensively regulates AI. Many more examples, before turning to the emerging state AI bills.

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Alexander Major spoke with Law360 about the challenges surrounding recent GSA guidance for federal agencies’ purchases of generative AI and highlights some possible best practices for contractors selling to the federal government. #AI #generativeAI

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HUGE Section 508 news. TL; DR: Federal employee followed proper process to resolve their issue. They got bounced around in bureaucratic BS and then ultimately sued. Lots of legal stuff happened and, ultimately, they ended up winning. Why this is important: For a long time it was thought that the administrative complaint process was the only recourse. However, as the article states: "Orozco’s clarity on Section 508’s private right of action affords federal employees a powerful new tool in their fight for an accessible workplace: they can challenge their agencies’ use of inaccessible technology head on, without going through the interactive process, and they can have their claims heard outside of their agencies, in federal court. " https://lnkd.in/gkFPEYrH

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A new bipartisan bill has been signed into law in Colorado, furthering the protection of biological data in an ever-evolving technological landscape. Protect Privacy of Biological Data, or HB24-1058, was signed by Governor Jared Polis on Wednesday after receiving unanimous support from the Colorado Senate in March. This new law expands the scope of the Colorado Privacy Act, ensuring the privacy of biological data is protected for all. #privacy #biologicaldata #ColoradoPrivacyAct

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A view from DC: Maryland's data minimization ups the ante: IAPP Managing Director, Washington, D.C., Cobun Zweifel-Keegan, CIPP/US, CIPM, offers his take on the latest privacy and artificial intelligence governance developments in the nation's capital and around the U.S. This week, he outlines how the data minimization requirements in Maryland's recently passed comprehensive privacy bill may signal a new era of consumer privacy beyond notice and choice. Full story #dataprotection #dataprivacy #privacy

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NIST, Georgetown, CDT to enhance digital identity guidelines for public benefits Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation Center for Democracy & Technology National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) #digitalidentity #standards

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Report Criticizes Federal Use of Facial Recognition The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a report highlighting significant issues with the federal government's use of Face Recognition Technology (FRT), acknowledging the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF) expertise on the topic. The report scrutinizes the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for their application of FRT, pointing out inadequate training, threats to civil rights, and suggestions for mitigating these risks. The DOJ uses FRT to generate criminal investigation leads, while DHS employs it for cross-border inquiries and traveler identification. HUD, on the other hand, uses FRT in surveillance within federally funded public housing. The report echoes EFF's calls for a complete ban on government FRT use and stringent regulation of its private application, citing concerns over accuracy, privacy invasion, biased algorithmic outcomes disproportionately affecting people of color and the LGBTQ+ community, and the technology's potential to chill free expression and pose information security risks. Particularly alarming are the report’s findings on FRT's propensity for false positives, which are more common for Black people, East Asians, women, and older adults, raising equal protection concerns. These inaccuracies are partly attributed to algorithmic bias and the technology's failure to reliably capture darker skin tones, posing critical risks in criminal investigations. The Commission advocates for enhanced oversight and transparency by Congress and agency leaders. While agreeing with many critiques, EFF argues that the technology's threats to civil liberties and privacy demand a stronger stance. EFF urges a governmental ban on FRT and strict private sector regulations, inviting public support through its About Face project to prevent FRT's community infiltration and encourage legislative action against its federal use. https://lnkd.in/dGNyHqMP Platform: Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Author: Emma Leeds Armstrong #civilrights #facerecognition #technology #facerecognitiontechnology #security #privacy #technews #transparency

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On November 22, 2024, the National Data Administration (NDB) released the draft Guidelines for Building National Data Infrastructure (hereinafter referred to as the Guidelines) for public consultation. Feedback submission channels closed on December 1, 2024. The Guidelines aim to establish a clear vision, framework, and developmental goals for data infrastructure, fostering societal consensus and providing a roadmap for its advancement. https://lnkd.in/g8RP-cmY

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There’s an interesting test of the Information Commissioner's Office’s adtech ‘strategy’ in Google’s decision to allow device fingerprinting. The Commissioner himself says that enforcement on Big Tech doesn’t work because you get wrapped up in litigation for years. So presumably, even if he can go after Google, he won’t. But Stephen Almond says in this press release that the Commissioner “will act” if companies use fingerprinting without it being “lawfully and transparently deployed”. Almond has made promises before; he said the ICO’s position on consent or pay would be released this year and that didn’t happen. He said there would be enforcement over cookies and all they managed was a thin reprimand for a technical time-limited breach. If the ICO’s continued “engagement” persuades Google to back down, that would be a vindication of Edwards’ soft touch approach that people like me couldn’t deny. But if they fail, I wonder if Edwards will have the humility to admit that he doesn’t have to ability to influence big tech even after a public rebuke. And if the change goes ahead, what is Almond promising here? Are we really going to see PECR enforcement notices (there’s no way it would be fines) to stop secret fingerprinting? Or will this be another case where the regulator talks tough and then backs down. Edwards’ record shows an inability to enforce in ideal circumstances (the Hackney Council incident for example) and this situation genuinely looks difficult. But business owners already know that the ICO doesn’t fine the private sector any more, and has only ever issued a single reprimand for PECR breaches that don’t relate to direct marketing. If I thought fingerprinting would make me money, would that stop me from using it? If anyone from the ICO is reading this, don’t you dare kid yourself that this thought process isn’t going on in businesses up and down the UK, even in those who engage with your policy people and clap at your speeches. So the choice is clear: if diplomacy fails (and so far, Google’s u-turn is evidence that it doesn’t work), what else has the ICO got?

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The public sector is undergoing a digital transformation in how elected officials and public servants communicate — WhatsApp instead of archived email, iMessage instead of logged calls. This is creating a black hole of critical data that is ungovernbale and often lost forever. But citizens demand more of their governments. Here’s how this is changing: https://lnkd.in/eP5G_9ez

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