European Digital Rights (EDRi) is the biggest European advocacy group defending rights and freedoms online in Europe.

EDRi is an NGO headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

EDRi’s mission is “to challenge private and state actors who abuse their power to control or manipulate the public. We do so by advocating for robust and enforced laws, informing and mobilising people, promoting a healthy and accountable technology market, and building a movement of organisations and individuals committed to digital rights and freedoms in a connected world.”

Through it NGOs, experts, and advocates collaborate and contribute to advocacy work.

EDRi runs campaigns to increase…

Lawyer’s advice on how to get into “data for good” and keep it “good”

I used to picture data scientists as aloof nerdy types that do not like to get in the brawl when it comes to policy. “Tell me what you want to know and I will ask the data” kind of people.

That is actually not true (or at least not true for all.)

For a few years now, data scientists have been collaborating with organizations, policymakers, and researchers to actually harness the power of data in the service of humanity. And they get together. …

Ten privacy bills have been introduced in Minnesota for the Legislative Session 92 (2021–2022.) Two of them (HF0036 and HF1492) are considered “comprehensive privacy bills.”

Here is the list:

1. HF0036: A bill for an act
   relating to consumer data privacy; giving various rights to consumers regarding personal data; placing data transparency obligations on businesses; creating a private right of action; providing for enforcement by the attorney general; proposing coding for new law as Minnesota Statutes, chapter 325O.. Author: Noor Status: Introduced + first reading + referred to Commerce Finance and Policy on 01/07/2021.
2. HF1492: Minnesota Consumer Privacy Act. A bill…

During the 2020 thirteen privacy bills where considered by the New Jersey legislator. None passed, but twelve out of the thirteen are still under consideration during this legislative season. NJ SB 236 (requiring notice of collection and allowing opt outs) failed in 2020 and is not currently under consideration.

The two bills currently competing in the “comprehensive privacy” category are NJ AB 3255 and NJ AB 3283 (the disclosure and Accountability Transparency Act (DATA) with AB 3283 tracking more closely to the EU GDPR.

The list of all the bills is as follows:

1. NJ AB 1181: Requires commercial Internet website…

NOTE: This article was initially published to Law360 on November 30, 2020, 2:36 PM EST here. My colleagues Kristin Bryan, CIPP US, Glenn Brown and I co-authored it with significant contributions from Aaron C. Garavaglia.

Assuming that President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in as president on Jan. 20, the area of data privacy will likely be of particular focus under the Biden administration, with consequences for data privacy litigation.

Some top-of-mind questions regarding the anticipated impact a Biden presidency may have in this area are addressed below. Specifically, we anticipate that a Biden administration will likely focus on the passage…

Oklahoma lawmakers have definitely joined the push for privacy legislation at the state level.

So far, several bills have been introduced. One of them (The Oklahoma Computer Data Privacy Act -HB 1602) takes a comprehensive approach to regulating privacy in the private sector.

The Oklahoma 2021 legislative session is scheduled to adjourn May 28th.

Here is the list:

HB 1602: Oklahoma Computer Data Privacy Act.

• The measure allows a customer to request that a business which collects personal information disclose the categories and specific items of information collected, and to delete the consumer’s personal information collected by the business. The…

Privacy is not red or blue but there has historically been a difference in the way Republican and Democratic states approach privacy legislation. Red states tend to not focus on enacting requirements that deal with the collection and use of information by private entities.

Their perspective tends to be that protections (if they are needed at all) should exist mainly in the context of governmental use of data.

In 2020 we saw Utah defeat this trend with the introduction of UT SB 249 (the Utah Consumer Privacy Act). The bill failed in 2020 and has not been reintroduced (yet).

However…

There were approx. 30 privacy bills introduced for consideration in New York during the 2019–2020 session. The fact that they all failed does not seem to have diminished the enthusiasm of New York legislators.

This year they are off to the races again.

In January 2021 more than 50 bills were introduced for consideration during the 2021–2022 session. Topics range from drones and facial recognition to comprehensive privacy bills.

Here is the list in case you are wondering:

1. A.B. 27 ((same as S.B.1933)| Introduced:January 6, 2021| Establishes the NY Biometric Privacy Act; requires private entities in possession of biometric identifiers…