@epic.org
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) was established in 1994 to secure the fundamental right to privacy in the digital age.
Find us at epic.org.
@epic.orgAs the Supreme Court prepares for oral argument in Salazar v. Paramount—a case that will decide whether the 1988 federal Video Privacy Protection Act applies to modern technologies like pixel tracking—a new EPIC blog explores the broader context of pixel tracking litigation. epic.org/looking-ahea...
@epic.orgEPIC Counsel Mayu Tobin-Miyaji testified this week in a council-wide hearing of the New York City Council. She urged the Council to prioritize combatting the harms AI systems are causing New Yorkers now rather than focusing on hypothetical risks.
Learn more: epic.org/epic-to-nyc-...
@epic.orgLast week, EPIC submitted comments to the Vermont AG on proposed rules for the state’s AADC, encouraging the AG to identify abusive design practices not to be deployed to minors and suggesting ways to ensure age-assurance preserves privacy while protecting kids.
Read more: epic.org/epic-issues-...
@epic.orgLast week, EPIC filed an amicus brief challenging Spirit Airlines’ sale of employee data to Google for AI training. We support @afacwa.org's objections to the sale and have long advocated for more privacy protections on workers’ data.
Read more about the case: epic.org/epic-files-a...
@epic.orgThe film shows that the harm comes from the design of the platforms, and EPIC’s model AADC prohibits platforms from offering addictive features. Read it here: epic.org/epic-model-a...
@epic.orgYour Attention Please, a new film about how social media is built to be addictive, and the people pushing back, is available now on Apple TV, Amazon, and Doc+.
@epic.orgMeta’s abysmal track record with personal information and user manipulation should concern people considering handing over personal data and control over decisions. Trust is earned, and Meta has a lot of earning to do.
@epic.orgMuse also collects information on individuals who are not Muse users and have not consented to their data being used in this way. Examples include reading communications exchanges, analyzing images, reviewing calendars, and even creating lists of doxxing targets.
@epic.orgThere are already multiple examples of Muse overstepping user instructions and either disregarding limits or interpreting instructions as broadly as possible to allow for more data collection and use—such as by scanning emails without permission and sharing a user’s address.
@epic.orgMeta’s “personal AI agent,” Muse, encourages users to hand over troves of personal data about themselves and their contacts, including financial, communications, health, and other sensitive data. Please don’t. epic.org/metas-mass-d...
@epic.orgCheck out the new edition of The EPIC Alert! Our monthly newsletter is the best way to stay up to date on all things EPIC, from lawsuits to legislation.
Didn't receive The Alert in your inbox or not yet a subscriber? Take a look at this month's issue here: eocampaign1.com/web-version?...
@epic.orgReminder! If you hate online scams and want to learn what you can do to protect yourself and hold Big Tech accountable, join the National Day of Action to stop online scams today at 1 p.m.: www.unitedtostoponlinescams.org.
@epic.orgLast week, EPIC urged the Third Circuit to protect Pennsylvania voter data. In an amicus brief defending a PA law banning the online publication of voter registration lists, EPIC argued that the law is viewpoint-neutral and does not violate the First Amendment.
Read more: epic.org/epic-urges-t...
@epic.orgThanks to our co-signers @digitaldemoc.bsky.social, @consumerfed.bsky.social, @demandprogress.bsky.social, and @nationalconsumers.bsky.social and to the NYU Technology Law & Policy Clinic for its assistance.
@epic.orgWe're urging the FTC to withdraw its claim that it lacks authority to prohibit personalized pricing and to consider using its Section 18 rulemaking authority to ban the practice outright.
@epic.orgNew York's Algorithmic Pricing Disclosure Act shows the problem in practice. Companies are placing the required disclosures below the checkout button or behind info icons, where shoppers can finish a purchase without ever seeing them.
@epic.orgAs our comment explains: "[D]isclosure does not solve any of these three elements because it does not lower the price charged, does not return the data collected, and does not give consumers a realistic path to act on the information once received."
@epic.orgSurveillance pricing meets every element of the FTC Act's unfairness test. It causes substantial injury, consumers can't reasonably avoid it, and the harm isn't outweighed by benefits to consumers or competition.
@epic.orgThe FTC's proposed policy statement would require companies to disclose when a price was personalized using consumers' data, including why and what data was used. We commend the FTC for acting, but disclosure alone can't cure the harms.
@epic.orgEPIC and consumer groups are urging the FTC to crack down on surveillance pricing, a practice in which companies charge different people different prices based on their personal data. Telling consumers it's happening isn't enough. The practice should be prohibited. epic.org/epic-and-con...
