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Electronic Privacy Information Center

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Electronic Privacy Information Center
AbbreviationEPIC
Formation1994; 31 years ago (1994)
Type501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
Purposeprivacy, freedom of expression, democratic values, open government
Location
Executive Director and President
Alan Butler[1]
Websiteepic.org Edit this at Wikidata

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is a nonprofit research center established in 1994 to protect privacy, freedom of expression, and democratic values in the information age. It is based in Washington DC.

EPIC pursues a range of civil liberties, consumer protection, and human rights issues. EPIC has pursued several successful consumer privacy complaints with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concerning Snapchat (faulty privacy technology),[2] WhatsApp (privacy policy after acquisition by Facebook),[3] Facebook (changes in user privacy settings),[4] Google (roll-out of Google Buzz),[5] Microsoft (Hailstorm log-in),[6] and Choicepoint (sale of personal information to identity thieves).[7] EPIC has also prevailed in significant Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cases against the CIA,[8] the DHS,[9] the Department of Education,[10] the Federal Bureau of Investigation,[11] the National Security Agency (NSA),[12] the ODNI,[13] and the Transportation Security Administration.[14] EPIC has also filed amicus curiae briefs on law and technology, including Riley v. California (2014), which concern cell phone privacy. They have also litigated important privacy cases, including EPIC v. DHS (D.C. Cir. 2011), which led to the removal of the x-ray body scanners in US airports, and EPIC v. NSA (D.C. Cir. 2014), which led to the release of the NSA's formerly secret cybersecurity authority. Additionally, EPIC challenged the NSA's domestic surveillance program in a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court.[15] In re EPIC, (U.S. 2013) after the release of the "Verizon Order" in June 2013. One of EPIC's current cases concerns the obligation of the Federal Aviation Administration to establish privacy regulations prior to the deployment of commercial drones in the United States.

Projects

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Open Government

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The EPIC Open Government Project is one of the nation's leading government transparency programs. Combining decades of expertise in the Freedom of Information Act with experienced litigation attorneys, EPIC obtains important government records to promote accountability and safeguard civil liberties.

The EPIC Open Government Project pursues four distinct program activities. First, the project actively pursues secret government documents through the FOIA. Second, the EPIC Open Government Project recommends improvements to agency rulemakings concerning transparency, privacy, and civil liberties. Third, EPIC trains law school students on utilizing the FOIA to promote open government. Fourth, EPIC participates in coalitions with other government transparency organizations. EPIC's extensive press outreach and popular website allow EPIC to make FOIA documents widely available to the press and the public.

Public Voice

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The Public Voice coalition was established in 1996 by EPIC to promote public participation in decisions concerning the future of the Internet.[16] The Public Voice has pursued issues ranging from privacy and freedom of expression to consumer protection and Internet governance. Through international conferences, reports and funding for travel the Public Voice project seeks to increase the presence of NGOs at meetings across the globe. In cooperation with the OECD, UNESCO, and other international organizations, the Public Voice project brings civil society leaders face to face with government officials for constructive engagement about current policy issues. Public Voice events have been held in Buenos Aires, Cancun,[17] Cape Town, Dubai,[18] Hong Kong,[19] Honolulu, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid,[20] Ottawa, Paris, Seoul, Washington, and Wroclaw.

The Public Voice project is made possible, in part, by support from the Ford Foundation, the Markle Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and EPIC. The Public Voice has provided support for several organizations, including the Center for International Media Action, CPSR, EDRi, People for Internet Responsibility, Privacy International, CPSR-Peru, and the TransAtlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD).

The Public Voice helped establish the Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council (CSISAC) which is the "voice of civil society" at the OECD. CSISAC's mission is set out in the Seoul Declaration adopted at the OECD Ministerial Meeting in Seoul, 2008. CSISAC contributes to the OECD's work on Digital Economy Policy and promotes the exchange of information between the OECD and civil society. The OECD provides civil society participants with substantial empirical analysis that enable informed policy assessments; CSISAC provides the OECD with the essential perspectives of experts and NGOs leaders. CSISAC strengthens the relationship between civil society and the OECD and promotes better-informed and more widely accepted policies for the IT sector.[21]

"There is an increasing recognition that we must involve all stakeholders including the voice of civil society. The Public Voice meeting and its contributions to the Forum have been constructive and positive."—OECD Under Secretary General

Amicus

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The EPIC Amicus Project seeks to promote privacy and government oversight by filing "friend of the court" briefs in federal and state courts. The EPIC Amicus Program is one of the most prolific appellate advocacy programs in the United States, filing almost 100 amicus briefs on emerging privacy and civil liberties issues, including more than 20 briefs for the US Supreme Court. The EPIC Project brings together experts in the fields of law, technology, and privacy policy with a team of in-house litigators to identify and file in cutting edge privacy cases. EPIC's amicus briefs have been cited by judges and justices in significant Fourth Amendment, consumer privacy, communications privacy, medical privacy, workplace privacy, and open government cases. EPIC continues to expand the scope of the Amicus Program, including arguing cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court, the New Mexico Supreme Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. EPIC's amicus participation has also been requested by judges in both federal and state cases. And EPIC attorneys frequently speak at judicial conferences, both in the United States and around the world, about emerging privacy issues and the role of the judiciary.

AI & Human Rights

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The EPIC Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and Human Rights Project advocates for the adoption of transparent, equitable, and commonsense development of AI policy and regulations. EPIC pursues this goal through a combination of public education, direct legislative advocacy, freedom of information requests, comments to decision-makers at the state, federal, and international levels, and more.

Consumer Privacy

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The EPIC Consumer Privacy Project advocates for the rights of consumers and Internet users, and works to protect consumers' personal information and autonomy in the digital marketplace. EPIC promotes the implementation and enforcement of Fair Information Practices and the enactment of the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, so that consumers do not have to choose between engaging in modern society and retaining their right to privacy.

Surveillance Oversight project

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EPIC's Project on Surveillance Oversight focuses public attention on merging technologies used to conduct domestic surveillance. As federal Judge Chutkan explained in a case brought by EPIC, "There can be little dispute that the general public has a genuine, tangible interest in a system designed to store and manipulate significant quantities of its own biometric data, particularly given the great numbers of people from whom such data will be gathered."

EPIC's Project on Surveillance Oversight looks also at drone surveillance, social media monitoring, police body-worn cameras, passenger profiling, vehicle tracking and cyber-surveillance. The Project pursues several activities to inform the public and to advocate for better privacy protections. EPIC uses FOIA to obtain documents about government surveillance programs. EPIC also files comments with federal agencies, leads coalition advocacy efforts, and testifies before state and federal legislatures for better privacy protections. EPIC has filed numerous amicus briefs in important court cases that address surveillance issues.

Administrative Law

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Through the Administrative Law Project, EPIC aims to compel federal agencies to adopt practices that safeguard privacy and promote transparency. EPIC has pursued this mission through extensive comments to agencies, and subsequent lawsuits in instances where agencies fail to adopt EPIC's recommendations. Over the last twenty years, EPIC has successfully advocated for individual privacy rights in agency rulemaking proceedings. EPIC has also successfully sued the government to force an agency to conduct a public rulemaking as required under the APA.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Alan Butler".
  2. ^ Crook, Jordan (2014-05-08). "Snapchat Settles With FTC After Being Dishonest With Users About Privacy". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  3. ^ "FTC Tells Facebook it will have to honor Whatsapp's privacy promise; EPIC and CDD letters spur commission action". Center For Digital Democracy. 2014-04-10. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  4. ^ Rotenberg, Marc; Verdi, John; Nguyen, Kimberly; Kaprove, Jared; Phillips, Matthew; McCall, Ginger (December 17, 2009). "Complaint, Request for Investigation, Injunction, and Other Relief". epic.org.
  5. ^ "Google, Inc., In the Matter of". Federal Trade Commission. 2011-03-30. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  6. ^ "CNN.com - EPIC to protest Passport bundling with Windows XP - July 26, 2001". CNN. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  7. ^ "- IDENTITY THEFT AND DATA BROKER SERVICES". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  8. ^ "What is - and isn't - in the report about the CIA and NYPD's "unique" relationship". MuckRock. 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  9. ^ "FOIA cases: EPIC v. DHS – FAST Program". epic.org. August 16, 2024.
  10. ^ "EPIC v. Education Department – Private Debt Collector Privacy Act Compliance". epic.org. August 16, 2024.
  11. ^ "EPIC presses FBI in lawsuit for details on biometric database – National Freedom of Information Coalition". Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  12. ^ "EPIC v. NSA – Cybersecurity Authority, Case No. 10-0196 (2010)". August 16, 2024.
  13. ^ Kyriakides, Eleni (January 9, 2017). "This letter is a request under the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA"), 5 U.S.C. § 552, and is submitted on behalf of the Electronic Privacy Information Center ("EPIC") to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence ("ODNI")" (PDF). epic.org. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Electronic Privacy Information Center v. United States Transportation Security Administration | REPLY to opposition to motion re Cross MOTION for Summary Judgment Combine Cross-Motion/Opposition | Casetext". casetext.com. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  15. ^ Roberts, Dan (8 July 2013). "US privacy group challenging NSA and FBI collection of phone records". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-09-06 – via www.theguardian.com.
  16. ^ "About Us – thepublicvoice.org". Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  17. ^ "CSISAC Forum: Cancun, Mexico June 2016". csisac.org. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  18. ^ Mansell, Robin (2001-01-01). "Issues paper". Paper Delivered to the OECD Emerging Market Economy Forum on Electronic Commerce, Dubai, UAE, January.
  19. ^ icdppc-update (2017-08-14). "39th Conference side event: The Public Voice: Emerging Privacy Issues, A Dialogue Between NGOs and DPAs – Global Privacy Assembly". Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  20. ^ "International civil society coalition to discuss global privacy standards | Association for Progressive Communications". www.apc.org. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  21. ^ "CSISAC: OECD Civil Society Information Society Advisory Council for the OECD work on the Digital Economy". csisac.org. Retrieved 2020-11-22.
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