About
Source: Website
EPIC is a public interest research center in Washington, DC seeking to protect privacy, freedom of expression, and democratic values in the information age.
EPIC was established in 1994 to protect privacy, freedom of expression, and democratic values in the information age.
Mission
Our mission is to secure the fundamental right to privacy in the digital age for all people through advocacy, research, and litigation. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and advocacy center. We have no clients, no customers, and no shareholders. We need your support.
Beliefs
We believe…
- Privacy is a fundamental right.
All people deserve protection from abusive data practices like mass surveillance, browser tracking, demographic profiling, and data discrimination. Protecting privacy means preserving our digital autonomy, individual freedom, and democratic values. - The internet belongs to the people who use it.
Standards for privacy, free speech, and human rights online should not be defined by corporations or unaccountable government actors. EPIC believes in balancing the scale in favor of the billions of people who rely on the internet in their day-to-day lives. - There’s a responsible way to use technology.
Technology can enrich our lives and enable new possibilities for the future. But these systems can also threaten our fundamental values. That is why EPIC advocates for meaningful oversight of data collection and processing systems to ensure that users are protected from abuse, exploitation, discrimination, and invasive surveillance.
EPIC works at the intersection of policy, advocacy, and litigation. We pursue a variety of activities, including litigating cases on emerging privacy issues, obtaining and publishing records to lift the veil on government data collection, providing expert advice to policymakers and lawmakers, and facilitating dialogue between advocates, experts, and decisionmakers. EPIC routinely files amicus briefs in federal courts, pursues open government cases, defends consumer privacy, organizes conferences for NGOs, and speaks before Congress and judicial organizations about emerging privacy and civil liberties issues. EPIC is an independent organization guided by its Board of Directors and Advisory Board, which are composed of experts in law, technology, and public policy.
EPIC Project
Surveillance Oversight
The unchecked expansion of surveillance systems is one of the greatest threats to privacy and civil liberties that we face. EPIC advocates for greater oversight of surveillance systems and closely tracks domestic surveillance issues to ensure that civil liberties are protected.
Private companies, government agencies, and police alike use unregulated tech for surveillance. The growing use of surveillance technology, and the use of mass surveillance in particular, poses an existential threat to our individual privacy, the privacy of our communities, and our democracy. The lack of regulation and protections against unrestricted use of surveillance tech affects us all but disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities. From local police using facial recognition to identify activists to federally-funded surveillance offices run by the Department of Homeland Security, abuses of surveillance technology are not only unjust, they’re dangerous.
Consumer Privacy Advocacy
Improper tracking and profiling of internet users is widespread because companies have been allowed to set their own rules and ignore data protection standards. EPIC seeks to protect users from data abuses and strengthen privacy standards online.
When consumers make a purchase online, browse the internet, or scroll through social media, they expect that companies will use their information solely for the purposes of the transaction. All too often, companies misuse, sell, or fail to protect consumers’ personal information. EPIC has a particular interest in protecting consumer privacy and has played a leading role in developing the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to address emerging privacy issues and to safeguard the privacy rights of consumers. EPIC has also long advocated for a comprehensive U.S. privacy law and strong state privacy laws.
AI and Human Rights Project
Artificial intelligence and machine learning systems are being deployed in opaque and unaccountable ways that can harm individuals and exacerbate biases. EPIC advocates for transparent, equitable, and commonsense AI policy and regulations.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are used by many private sector and government entities. The definition of AI is subject to much debate, and the degree of technological sophistication in the systems can vary greatly. But there is no doubt that the use and development of AI systems is expanding rapidly.
The use of AI is poorly regulated in the United States, and the inner workings of the systems are often opaque. In many cases, members of the public are not even aware that AI systems are being used to make decisions that impact their lives. It is essential to establish regulations that recognize the harms posed by AI systems and require transparency, oversight, and accountability for both commercial and government uses of AI.
Platform Accountability and Governance Project
EPIC advocates for platform governance and accountability policies that protect the speech, privacy, anti-discrimination, and safety rights of internet users.
Platforms offer many beneficial services to users, but the way platforms are designed can also cause harm on individuals and society. EPIC’s Platform Governance and Accountability program focuses on understanding how online platforms operate, where those operations cause harm, and how the incentives platform companies face can be changed to minimize or mitigate harms without creating new ones.
To achieve these goals, EPIC advocates for logical, human-centered platform rules that protect users’ rights and safety. EPIC recognizes that online platforms are complex, so regulating them involves tradeoffs between important values. EPIC works to ensure that platforms are held accountable for violating the law by advocating for reasonable interpretation of the First Amendment, Section 230, and Article III standing.
Telephone Subscriber Privacy Project
EPIC’s Telephone Subscriber Privacy Project works to protect the privacy of telephone subscribers. This includes supporting vigorous enforcement of the TCPA prohibition on unwanted automated calls and texts; advocating for limits on the collection and use of telephone numbers and other subscriber data; researching and educating the public about robocalls and subscriber profiling; and advocating for greater restrictions on the collection and sale of subscribers’ personal information for unwanted telemarketing and other purposes.
Health Privacy Project
The Health Privacy Project’s principal objectives are to: 1) study how recent legislation and rulemakings on health privacy are being implemented and their potential impacts on health equity; 2) inform, provide technical assistance to, and advise policymakers, regulators, and other key stakeholders about the need for robust health privacy protections and about how the landscape of health privacy is shifting; and 3) educate the public on how their health data is collected, how they can best protect their own health information, and about the need for new and stronger health privacy protections.
EPIC evaluates and reimagines health protections considering the increased collection of health-related data and the risks that poses to privacy, security, and equity.
Open Government Project
Transparency is one of the core principles of modern government because it ensures accountability and meaningful public oversight. EPIC helps to ensure that the government is open about its data collection and privacy practices.
EPIC makes frequent use of open records laws like the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain information from the government about surveillance and privacy policy. Public disclosure of this information improves government oversight and accountability. It also helps ensure that the public is fully informed about the activities of government. EPIC routinely files lawsuits to force disclose of agency records that impact critical privacy interests.
AI & Human Rights
Artificial intelligence and machine learning systems are being deployed in opaque and unaccountable ways that can harm individuals and exacerbate biases. EPIC advocates for transparent, equitable, and commonsense AI policy and regulations.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems are used by many private sector and government entities. The definition of AI is subject to much debate, and the degree of technological sophistication in the systems can vary greatly. But there is no doubt that the use and development of AI systems is expanding rapidly.
The use of AI is poorly regulated in the United States, and the inner workings of the systems are often opaque. In many cases, members of the public are not even aware that AI systems are being used to make decisions that impact their lives.
It is essential to establish regulations that recognize the harms posed by AI systems and require transparency, oversight, and accountability for both commercial and government uses of AI. Further, regulations must create opportunities for individuals to enforce protective rules with private rights of action. EPIC consistently urges government actors to use The Universal Guidelines for AI and the OECD AI principles as frameworks to guide their policymaking towards equitable solutions.
Source: Website
Consumer Privacy
Improper tracking and profiling of internet users is widespread because companies have been allowed to set their own rules and ignore data protection standards. EPIC seeks to protect users from data abuses and strengthen privacy standards online.
When consumers make a purchase online, browse the internet, or scroll through social media, they expect that companies will use their information solely for the purposes of the transaction. All too often, companies misuse, sell, or fail to protect consumers’ personal information. EPIC has a particular interest in protecting consumer privacy and has played a leading role in developing the authority of the Federal Trade Commission to address emerging privacy issues and to safeguard the privacy rights of consumers. EPIC has also long advocated for a comprehensive U.S. privacy law and a Data Protection Agency.
Source: Website
Cybersecurity
The security of data, computer systems, and critical infrastructure is essential to the functioning of our society. EPIC supports improved cybersecurity standards and oversight to protect against breaches and to ensure a quick and robust response when they occur.
While the continued innovation of computer systems and networks has brought many benefits, it has also opened the door to significant cybersecurity risks. Both government and private sector systems are subject to attack, but government datasets and critical infrastructure are especially vulnerable. Even election systems have come under attack repeatedly, threatening a core foundation of the democratic system. Breaches of government systems can have especially severe consequences, given the sensitive nature of the records.
Despite an ever-deepening crisis of dangerous cybersecurity threats, there is no single federal minimum standard for data security in the United States. However, there are many regulators involved in overseeing data security in different sectors, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, and others. EPIC advocates on behalf of Internet users for stronger data security protections and improved oversight.
Source: Website
Data Protection
Data Protection laws safeguard personal data by regulating the ways private companies and governments store and use data.
Organizations that choose to collect and use personal data necessarily take on obligations for the collection, storage, and use of the data. These obligations help ensure fairness, accountability, and transparency in decisions about individuals. Data Protection laws should build on the U.S. Code of Fair Information Practices and OECD Privacy Guidelines, which are widely followed and form the basis of other data protection regimes.
Source: Website
Democracy & Free Speech
Free speech and privacy protections are essential to civic life and to healthy democratic processes. EPIC works to ensure that technology laws and oversight mechanisms protect our rights and support principles of democratic governance.
The right to privacy is deeply intertwined with civic engagement, the health of democratic institutions, and the fight for racial and social justice. Without the secret ballot, voters may face intimidation, reprisals, and the risk of tainted elections. Without census confidentiality measures, the public may be deterred from providing the candid answers needed for a fair and accurate enumeration. Without anonymity or associational privacy, protestors and donors may be chilled from registering their support for causes they believe in. Without the right to read or safeguards against online abuse, individuals cannot safely engage in the free exchange of information and ideas. And without focusing on the special threats that surveillance, data collection, and algorithmic discrimination pose to marginalized populations, we cannot ensure privacy or democratic participation for all.
Source: Website
Open Government
Transparency is one of the core principles of modern government because it ensures accountability and meaningful public oversight. EPIC helps to ensure that the government is open about its data collection and privacy practices.
EPIC makes frequent use of open records laws like the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain information from the government about surveillance and privacy policy. Public disclosure of this information improves government oversight and accountability. It also helps ensure that the public is fully informed about the activities of government. EPIC routinely files lawsuits to force disclose of agency records that impact critical privacy interests.
Source: Website
Platform Accountability & Governance
Online platforms increasingly permeate our lives. We use them to find and read the news, to buy goods, to find and book travel, to date, to find a place to live, and more. EPIC advocates for platform governance and accountability policies that protect the speech, privacy, anti-discrimination, and safety rights of internet users.
Platforms offer many beneficial services to users, but the way platforms are designed can also cause harm on individuals and society. EPIC’s Platform Governance and Accountability program focuses on understanding how online platforms operate, where those operations cause harm, and how the incentives platform companies face can be changed to minimize or mitigate harms without creating new ones.
To achieve these goals, EPIC advocates for logical, human-centered platform rules that protect users’ rights and safety. EPIC recognizes that online platforms are complex, so regulating them involves tradeoffs between important values. EPIC works to ensure that platforms are held accountable for violating the law by advocating for reasonable interpretation of the First Amendment, Section 230, and Article III standing. EPIC’s Platform Governance and Accountability team coordinates and files amicus briefs in key cases, provides support to litigators, consults with lawmakers, and engages with regulators.
Source: Website
Privacy Laws
EPIC maintains a variety of resources on U.S., state, and international data protection laws to educate policymakers and others interested in learning about privacy and civil liberties issues.
The U.S. lacks a comprehensive privacy law. Despite increased interest in privacy and data protection in recent years, the federal laws in the U.S. governing the privacy of personal data largely regulate certain industries and categories of data.
Most privacy legislation in the United States is enacted at the state level. Many states have privacy legislation on employment privacy (drug testing, background checks, employment records), Social Security Numbers, video rental data, credit reporting, cable television records, arrest and conviction records, student records, tax records, wiretapping, video surveillance, identity theft, library records, financial records, insurance records, privileges (relationships between individuals that entitle communications to privacy), and medical records.
Internationally, foreign governments have enacted more comprehensive data protection legislation, most notably the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Source: Website
Surveillance Oversight
The unchecked expansion of surveillance systems is one of the greatest threats to privacy and civil liberties that we face. EPIC advocates for greater oversight of surveillance systems and closely tracks domestic surveillance issues to ensure that civil liberties are protected.
Private companies, government agencies, and police alike use unregulated tech for surveillance. The growing use of surveillance technology, and the use of mass surveillance in particular, poses an existential threat to our individual privacy, the privacy of our communities, and our democracy. The lack of regulation and protections against unrestricted use of surveillance tech affects us all but disproportionately impacts vulnerable communities. From local police using facial recognition to identify activists to federally-funded surveillance offices run by the Department of Homeland Security, abuses of surveillance technology are not only unjust, they’re dangerous.
Source: Website
Contact
Email: Contact
